The University of Tennessee Southern

Stanton Belford, Ph.D. Chair of the School of Mathematics and Sciences; Associate Professor of Biology,

Stanton Belford headshot

Contact Information

Office Address:
School of Mathematics and Sciences

Phone: 931-424-4621 Ext: 3621

Email: sbelfor2@utsouthern.edu

Biography

Associate Professor of Biology with a demonstrated history of working in higher education. Mentorship of undergraduate student research and training students in molecular techniques, such as DNA barcoding using mitochondrial COI, 16S, ITS genes of interest. Phylogenetic analysis using Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis to highlight species identification and evolutionary history. Skilled in Life Sciences (Ecology, Invert & Vert. Zoology), Microscopy, Science, and Microsoft Office, Travel Abroad Study, Coral Reef Research.

Education

Stanton is a first-generation college graduate.
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  • Ph.D Auburn University
  • MSc. MTSU
  • BSc. MMC/UT Southern

Publications

  • Belford, S.G. 2024. Combining morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding techniques confirm sea urchins of the genus Echinometra (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in marine habitat at extreme regions of the Caribbean Sea. Integrative and Comparative Biology 0:1-9.
  • Belford, S.G. 2023. Utilization of two DNA barcoding techniques, alongside morphological characters, confirms the presence of zoantharian morphotypes (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) along the coast of Toco, Trinidad. Living World, Journal of Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club 2023:126-135.
  • Belford, S.G. 2022. Posters for Science Communication. Reef Encounters 37(2): 62-63.
  • Sangre Grande Region Tourism Newsletter. Toco’s Coral Reefs. Issue 38, September 2022.
  • Belford, S.G. 2021. Shallow-water species diversity of common intertidal zoantharians (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) along the northeastern coast of Trinidad, southern Caribbean. Oceans 2: 477-488. https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans2030027.
  • Belford, S.G. 2020. Spatial abundance and colour morphotype densities of the rock-boring sea urchin (Echinometra lucunter) at two different habitats. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences 36(1): 157-164.
  • Belford, S.G., Phillip, D.A.T., Rutherford, M.G., Schmidt, R.S., Duncan, E.J. 2019. Biodiversity of coral reef communities in marginal environments along the north-eastern coast of Trinidad, Southern Caribbean. Progress in Aqua Farming and Marine Biology 2(1): 1-23.
  • Folt, B., Laurencio, D., Goessling, J., Birkhead, R., Stiles, J., Stiles, S., Harris, A., Belford, S. 2015. One hundred two new county records for amphibians and reptiles in Alabama, USA. Herpetological Review 46(4): 591-594.
  • Russell, M.L., Belford, S., Crowe, L., Laurencio, D. 2015. Love our coral reefs: Teaching 6-14 year-olds about environmental stewardship and coral reefs using modeling materials found in most cupboards. Green Teacher 107: 29-32.
  • Belford, S.G., Chadwick, N.E., Khalaf, M.A. 2013. Measuring body size in small marine fishes: a comparison of three non-intrusive methods. Fisheries and Aquaculture Journal FAJ-71: 1-8.
  • Belford, S.G., Phillip, D.A.T. 2012. Intertidal distribution patterns of Zoanthids compared to their Scleractinian counterparts in the southern Caribbean. International Journal of Oceanography & Marine Ecological System 1 (3): 67-75.
  • Belford, S., Phillip, D. 2011. Rapid assessment of a coral reef community in a marginal habitat in the southern Caribbean: A simple way to know what’s out there. Asian Journal of Biological Sciences 4(7): 520-531.
  • Book Review “Into the Great Wide Ocean” by Sönke Johnsen https://integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/flying-with-good-company-in-the-pelagic-zone-a-review-by-stanton-belford-of-into-the-great-wide-ocean-by-sonke-johnsen/
  • Integrative and Comparative Biology. B.I.M.S. feature- Secrets of the Sea: A look at zoantharian how genetic analyses can reveal their identity – Integrative and Comparative Biology (wordpress.com).
  • Shape of Life. Stanton Belford, Associate Professor, Marine Scientist, and Founder of Marine Nostalgia | the Shape of Life | The Story of the Animal Kingdom,
    Belford, S.G. 2022. Posters for Science Communication. Reef Encounters 37(2): 62-63.

Awards

  • Tidal Wave participant at the UN Ocean Decade Conference, Barcelona, Spain (April 2024)
  • Diverse Ocean Science Community through Collaboration (DOOC) participant, California State University, Monterey, California (August 2022)
  • NSF grant from Diverse Ocean science Community through Collaboration (DOOC) program: From Sea to Sand: Understanding ocean pollutants as stressors to marine biodiversity and cultural perceptions of hazards in present and future climates. Collaboration with UTS, UCLA, and U. Oregon (Awarded: $8,000).