Dr. Mike Parsons

Meet Dr. Parsons

Professor of Marine Science
Director of the Vester Marine & Environmental Science Research Field Station


Phone: 239.590.7526 | Email: mparsons@fgcu.edu 

Michael Parsons is a Professor of Marine Science in the Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University and Director of FGCU's Vester Field Station. In addition to his teaching duties focused on marine ecology, Parsons has built a successful research career, receiving over $20 million of extramural funding to study harmful algal blooms and ecosystem health. His work has been cited over 3,500 times in the scientific literature, demonstrating the quality of his work. In addition to working with other researchers around the state to find solutions to our algal bloom problems, he was appointed to the Blue-Green Algae Task Force by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019 to work to reduce the impacts of harmful algae in our region.

My ultimate goal is to educate students and the public in the field of coastal ecology, particularly in terms of how human activities impact ecosystem health, as well as how these impacts in turn influence human health and well-being.

— Dr. Mike Parsons