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Bryan Franks, Ph.D., is the director of the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center and the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at the Â鶹´«Ã½. He brings more than 15 years of experience in marine science education, research, and administration to the role.

Franks most recently served as executive director of Jacksonville University's Marine Science Research Institute in Florida, where he led strategic fundraising and partnership development that generated more than $10 million in state appropriations, grants, and private donations for new facilities, scholarships, and research. He also launched a flexible modality marine science master's degree that drove nearly 80% of the program's graduate enrollment growth over two years.

His research focuses on the ecology and conservation of threatened marine species, including sharks and rays, and the impacts of climate change and human activities on coastal ecosystems. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles in leading marine science and ecology journals and has mentored more than 20 master's students as a thesis advisor or committee member.

Franks holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Environmental Science and Ecology from Drexel University and a bachelor's degree in biology from Villanova University.