Rate My Professor Michael Savarese

Michael Savarese is a Distinguished Professor of Coastal Geology, Climate Resilience, & Preparation in the Department of Marine and Earth Sciences within Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Davis (1989), an M.S. in Geology from the University of Rochester (1984), and a B.S. in Biology and Geology from the University of Rochester (1981). Savarese joined Florida Gulf Coast University at its inception in 1997 as an Associate Professor, was promoted to Professor in 2004, and elevated to Distinguished Professor. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Geobiology in the Department of Geological Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington (1989–1997) and Research Scientist at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (1996–1997). Throughout his tenure at FGCU, he has undertaken significant administrative roles, including Chair of the Department of Marine & Ecological Sciences (2010–2013), Founding Director of University Graduate Studies (2005–2010), Interim Director of the Whitaker Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (2007–2009), Program Coordinator for the M.A. in Environmental Studies (2012–present), and Chairperson of the Big Cypress Basin–Estero Bay Restoration Coordination Team and Southwest Florida Regional Restoration Coordination Team. He currently serves as a liaison for climate change preparedness with Collier County and municipalities such as Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades City.

Savarese’s research specializations encompass coastal geology, paleontology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, conservation paleobiology, and the geohistorical analysis of estuarine and coastal environments. His work examines environmental changes in coastal settings driven by human development, climate change, and sea-level rise, including vulnerability assessments, oyster reef ecology, and coastal resilience strategies. Notable publications include the book chapter “Effectively connecting conservation paleobiological research to environmental management: examples from Greater Everglades’ restoration of Southwest Florida” (2018, in Marine Conservation Paleobiology), “Conservation paleobiology roundtable: from promise to application” (2018, in Conservation Paleobiology), “Sand incursion into temperate (Lithuania) and tropical (the Bahamas) maritime vegetation: georadar visualization of target-rich aeolian lithosomes” (2017, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science), and “The effects of shellfish harvesting by aboriginal inhabitants of Southwest Florida on productivity of the eastern oyster: a conservation paleobiological approach” (2016, Anthropocene). He has produced 55 research works with 617 citations. Awards include Gulfshore Life’s “People to Watch” (2018), FGCU Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (2010), Coastal America Partnership Award (2006), and R. Merton Love Award for Excellence in Graduate Ecology Research (1989, UC Davis). Savarese has bridged academia and policy through service on restoration teams and as a community liaison fostering coastal resilience in Southwest Florida.