College of Online Education; Biology Faculty Member

“Not so slow but keeping steady”

 

Ghislaine Guyot, Ph.D., is a French native originally from South France near the Southern French Alps. She completed her higher degrees in France before taking her talents abroad, first with her Master of Science in Biology from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and finally her Doctor of Philosophy/Biology (Ph.D.) from Pierre and Marie Curie University.

Dr. Guyot’s research interests from early on in her academic career had been heavily focused on conservation biology and herpetology. Specifically, she interacted with endangered species and reptiles, such as turtles. She worked for a few years in Perth, Australia, for the University of Western Australia, completing post-doctorate work and studying the movement of animals in and out of preserves, as well as ecology and conservation. The leading scientist at that time was a physiologist, so the majority of the work related to studying the reproductive habits of reptiles.

Finally, Dr. Guyot’s life and her work led her to the United States as a Curator Associate for the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She was tasked to set up a new museum there with many hundreds of specimens of skeletons and preserved animals, including all known species of turtles. The whole collection is now part of a larger museum in Tampa Bay.

Dr. Guyot has been recognized for her tireless efforts in many ways, such as being appointed as a member of the tortoise and freshwater turtle specialist group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for more than a decade and as a member of the IUCN Turtle Survival Alliance since its inception. She has also made a name for herself as a renowned writer and editor of conservation biology content as the Editor in Chief of the herpetological journal Cheloniens that she helped create in 2006, as well as her previous role as the Editor in Chief of the herpetological journal Manouria from 2002 to 2005.

Dr. Guyot’s passion for academic work, scientific conservation study and biology is apparent throughout her career, but her passion for educating the next generation of scientists and biology enthusiasts developed later in life. Her teaching career began in 2011, first as an online educator for South University and then for Keiser University in an in-person and online capacity. Currently, she is Chair of the Environmental Science Committee for Keiser University, as well as her teaching duties as a Biology Faculty Member for Life University (Life U) in the College of Online Education (COE).

“I like to work with adult students of different ages. That’s really what attracts me because we’re seeing more and more this past decade, a lot of different ages and types of students,” Dr. Guyot said.

This is certainly true at Life U, with 37 percent of the undergraduate student population at age 22 or older, according to the Fall 2024 Factbook.  As a lifelong learner herself, Dr. Guyot relates to these students who are often juggling parenthood, starting second careers and navigating many of life’s challenges.

“The online environment is a tough environment for students. It’s difficult sometimes to motivate, but if you tie into real-life examples that they are interested in, then actually they are more likely every week to do their work,” noted Dr. Guyot.

In particular, Dr. Guyot has enjoyed contributing to the Life U community through investing in online education, as “it’s a very close community that is very encouraging, which is very important for the online teacher because we are not on campus.” As an online educator, it can be difficult to connect or feel in the loop, but Dr. Guyot reports she “doesn’t feel isolated at all.”

“I know that I can reach out if I have any issue. I will have feedback right away, and I think on the other side, I make sure that they can reach out [knowing] that I’m always here if they need extra help.”

Lastly, the concepts of Lasting Purpose and a genuine desire to demonstrate human kindness are evident to her at Life University.

“In that respect, I think I have not seen that in other schools, this kindness and sense of community among the staff and faculty on the student side.”