Florybeth La Valle

Biography

Dr. Florybeth (Flo) La Valle is a biology professor in the Natural Sciences Division of Seaver College at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. She holds a PhD in marine biology from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She graduated as valedictorian of her undergraduate class at Iona College with a degree in environmental science and chemistry. Although she has spent the majority of her life living in major cities, she has always been driven by her curiosity about the natural world.

Prior to her career as a coastal community ecologist, Dr. La Valle was a middle school science teacher in New York, where she cultivated a passion for teaching. Dr. La Valle is equally passionate for her research interests which span: effects of urbanization and development on coastal communities, coral reef ecology, effectiveness of marine protected areas, intertidal ecology, sustainable and equitable coastal practices, marine resource management, and data science. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, HI Sea Grant, CA Sea Grant, and the Ocean Protection Council. Dr. La Valle’s lab members can often be found both frolicking and struggling in the ocean, analyzing data in the lab, and practicing how to communicate their science to a wide range of audiences. 

Education

• PhD Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2018