About the DSO

Michelle Gaither

Diving Safety Officer, Program Manager
michelle.gaither@ucf.edu
PhD Zoology, University of Hawaii, 2011

Background
Dr. Gaither has been scuba diving for over 30 years. Her scientific diving career began at University of Guam in 1995 as a M.S. student there. Later she graduated with her PhD from the University of Hawaii. Scuba diving has long been an integral part of her research and so when she joined the Biology Department at UCF as an Assistant Professor in 2017 she quickly became aware of the need for a Scientific Diving Program at UCF. Dr. Gaither founded the program in 2020 which she now leads. She also teaches the Scientific Diving Course that is offered every spring term and which provides training to students, staff, and faculty at UCF. She is a member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, a SDI Dive Instructor and a DAN Emergency First Response Instructor.