Mickie R. Edwards began his career as a researcher on pinnipeds at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in 2011. At that time, he was an undergraduate student studying Hawaiian monk seal trophic dynamics via stable isotope methodologies using archived bone and teeth samples. After completing his Bachelor’s of Science (2014) he pursued a Master’s of Science at Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography – NSU, where he began working with Punta San Juan and Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) as a collaborative researcher under his university advisor, Dr. Amy C. Hirons. Between 2015 and 2018 he obtained his Masters in Marine Biology researching the effects of El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on Punta San Juan’s Peruvian fur seal and South American sea lion populations using stable isotope methodologies on collected tissue samples from annual health assessments. While in his Master’s he secured a laboratory operations position at NSU’s Guy Harvey Oceanographic Campus, where he manages over instructional and research labs. In his professional career he is currently working on several research projects involving the ecology of South American otariids.