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Who We Are Thomas Frazer, Ph.D
Thomas Frazer, Ph.D
Dean, College of Marine Science, USF
Profile
Nominee Election Year to ASEMFL: 2022
Nominee Committee Service (List Committee(s) and Years Served for each): Dr. Frazer served on the Rising Stars Selection Committee in 2025 and is a member of the Rising Stars Selection Committee in 2026 He provided input for the 2024 annual meeting for the session on Impact of Climate Change on Florida. He remains fully committed to serving ASEMFL.
Nominator Name: D. Yogi Goswami
Description of technical expertise, past leadership experience, and prior service to ASEMFL:
Dr. Thomas Frazer is a nationally recognized marine scientist, academic leader, and environmental policy expert with more than three decades of experience in research, higher education, and public service. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida (USF) and Executive Director of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, Florida’s center for flood science, data integration, and resilience planning.
Before joining USF in 2020, Dr. Frazer held several leadership positions at the University of Florida, including Director of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. From 2019 to 2021, he served as Florida’s Chief Science Officer, advising state leaders on environmental science, research priorities, and policy development.
His research focuses on understanding how human activities affect freshwater and marine ecosystems and translating scientific knowledge into effective policy and management. He has published more than 200 scientific papers, book chapters, technical reports, and extension publications. His research has spanned Florida’s coastal waters, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon Basin, and Southern Ocean. He has also led numerous multimillion-dollar research and infrastructure initiatives funded by federal and state agencies.
Dr. Frazer has served on numerous national and state advisory bodies. He is a member of the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Gulf Council and serves on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Regulation Commission. He has also held leadership positions with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, including Chair, and serves on boards and advisory committees focused on ocean observing, coastal resilience, fisheries, innovation, and environmental stewardship.
Nominee Committee Service (List Committee(s) and Years Served for each): Dr. Frazer served on the Rising Stars Selection Committee in 2025 and is a member of the Rising Stars Selection Committee in 2026 He provided input for the 2024 annual meeting for the session on Impact of Climate Change on Florida. He remains fully committed to serving ASEMFL.
Nominator Name: D. Yogi Goswami
Description of technical expertise, past leadership experience, and prior service to ASEMFL:
Dr. Thomas Frazer is a nationally recognized marine scientist, academic leader, and environmental policy expert with more than three decades of experience in research, higher education, and public service. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida (USF) and Executive Director of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, Florida’s center for flood science, data integration, and resilience planning.
Before joining USF in 2020, Dr. Frazer held several leadership positions at the University of Florida, including Director of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. From 2019 to 2021, he served as Florida’s Chief Science Officer, advising state leaders on environmental science, research priorities, and policy development.
His research focuses on understanding how human activities affect freshwater and marine ecosystems and translating scientific knowledge into effective policy and management. He has published more than 200 scientific papers, book chapters, technical reports, and extension publications. His research has spanned Florida’s coastal waters, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon Basin, and Southern Ocean. He has also led numerous multimillion-dollar research and infrastructure initiatives funded by federal and state agencies.
Dr. Frazer has served on numerous national and state advisory bodies. He is a member of the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Gulf Council and serves on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Regulation Commission. He has also held leadership positions with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, including Chair, and serves on boards and advisory committees focused on ocean observing, coastal resilience, fisheries, innovation, and environmental stewardship.