College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies

Galveston’s Dr. Christopher Marshall Named Regents Professor By Texas A&M System

Marshall with a sea turtle patient of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research

On November 19, the Texas A&M University System announced that the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named Dr. Christopher Marshall as a Regents Professor during their November meeting. This recognition honors Marshall’s impact on the university, state of Texas and the scientific community as a professor in the marine biology department and director of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research (GCSTR). Including Marshall, only 18 faculty members received this award across the Texas A&M University System for their exemplary performance and dedication during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. 

“The Regents honor celebrates quantifiable and tangible impact that far exceeds the expected contributions of a typical research-active faculty member or administrator,” said Dr. Debbie Thomas, dean of the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies. “In the case of Dr. Marshall, this impact enhances the quality of life for coastal residents not only through rigorous and critical scholarship and outstanding teaching, but also through direct public engagement, informal education, unparalleled outreach, and assessment of environmental quality.”

As the director of GCSTR, Marshall oversees a collaborative research and conservation effort that directly engages with students, community members and local, state, national and international organizations and agencies. 

Marshall’s research focuses on the functional, ecological and evolutionary aspects of how vertebrates detect, acquire, ingest and digest food. He earned his Ph.D. in Functional Morphology from the University of Florida, his Master of Science in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech. 

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents established the Regents Professor Awards program in 1996 to recognize employees who have made extraordinary contributions to their university or agency, as well as to the people of Texas. The award is the highest honor awarded by the A&M System on faculty members. To date, only 323 Texas A&M System faculty members have been recognized with the Regents Professor Award.

Visit the Texas A&M University System site for a full list of 2023-2024 honorees.