Our research staff are as diverse as the projects they work on. Whether they are conducting water quality monitoring or presenting research results at a national conference, our staff share a common goal—to further understanding of the environment through research, education, and outreach.
George Guillen, Executive Director
Guillen has served as the executive director of the Environmental Institute of Houston since 2004 and is a professor of biology and environmental science at UHCL. Guillen obtained his Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Texas, School of Public Health. He received his M.S. in wildlife and fisheries sciences, and B.S. in marine biology from Texas A&M University. His previous experience includes chief of the Fisheries and Contaminants Program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Arcata, Calif. Prior to that he was the toxicology and risk assessment unit chief at the Minerals Management Service in New Orleans, La. Additionally, he worked for 10 years with the TCEQ predecessor agencies (TNRCC and TWC) as district manager and program manager. He also served as a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for more than four years.
Kaylei Chau, Field Research Technician
Chau began at EIH as an intern while finishing her B.S. in environmental science at UHCL. After completing her internship and graduating in May 2017, she was hired on full-time as a field research technician. Chau has her hands in a myriad of projects at EIH, from water quality monitoring to the coast-wide characterization of saltmarsh topminnow populations in Texas, while also assisting with field data collection for ongoing graduate student research projects.
Kristi Fazioli, Research Associate
Fazioli has worked with EIH since 2012 as a research associate. She has a M.S. in marine science from U.C. Santa Cruz and a B.S. in marine biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She has a broad range of experience studying wildlife population biology, behavior and ecology. Her prior experience includes extensive work with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida as well as leading projects with other government and non-profit institutions. In addition to assisting on many of our field projects, Fazioli is EIH's principal investigator for the Galveston Bay Dolphin Research and Conservation Program, a long-term dolphin monitoring project conducted in cooperation with the Galveston Bay Foundation.
Mandi Gordon, Senior Biologist
Gordon began working for EIH as a research associate in 2011. She obtained her M.S. in biology from Georgia Southern University and her B.S. in marine biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston. Her prior experience covers broad topics such as examination of physiological adaptations, biomechanics, ecological and environmental impacts on populations, and reproductive endocrinology. Gordon has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of vertebrate species, but her primary senior research role at EIH involves the study of turtles. Since working for EIH, she has participated in interdisciplinary projects ranging from water quality monitoring to population demographics and ecology.
Marc Mokrech, Senior Research Scientist
Mockrech's background is in civil engineering specialized in geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. His current research focuses on spatial modeling considering an interdisciplinary approach for analyzing and understanding future environmental and socio-economic implications. He has more than 10 years in applying spatial modeling in a wide range of fields including coastal management and adaptation to future changes, impact assessment of climate change on urban and natural environments, hydrological and watershed analysis, terrain analysis, and uncertainty management in GIS-based models. Mokrech is currently investigating changes in landscape use and demographics and impacts on the local environment.
Jenny Oakley, Environmental Scientist
Oakley is EIH's environmental scientist and has worked for EIH since 2008. She earned a Ph.D. in the Marine Biology Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at Texas A&M University in 2019. Her M.S. and B.S. degrees are in biology (minor in chemistry) from TAMU-Corpus Christi. Oakley manages EIH's Research Department, working closely with other EIH research staff to coordinate proposal development, project management, and report compilation. She is also one of EIH's licensed OUPV captains.
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Environmental Institute of Houston
Phone: 281-283-3950
Email: eih@uhcl.eduNorth Office Annex
2700 Bay Area Blvd, Box 540
Houston, TX 77058-1002
