Shannon has been a CNS-UCSB Graduate Fellow since 2010. He is a PhD student in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and also a member of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN). As a member of CEIN, Shannon's work has focused on the impact of metal oxide nanoparticles on marine benthic organisms. He is especially interested in whether or not nanoparticles in the environment affect physiological rates, including growth, metabolism and feeding, of various marine organisms. Shannon received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of West Florida, and his master's degree in marine biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. At CNS, he is part of Barbara Herr Harthorn's Risk Perception research group.