Dr. Feller is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, a primary faculty member in the Marine Science Program, and serves as Director of the Center for Science Education.

In 1979, Dr. Feller joined the nationally-ranked Marine Science Program and the Dept. of Biological Sciences. He was Interim Director (1994) and Associate Director of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Coastal and Marine Science. He has directed the Master of Arts in Teaching (Biology) program for 7 years and became Director of the USC Center for Science Education in 2003 and now co-directs the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts program for in-service teachers.

With research emphases in aquatic food web dynamics and predator-prey relationships, crustacean population dynamics, ecological applications of immunology, and animal energetics, he has procured $3.1M+ in competitive grants and contracts (NSF, EPA, NOAA, etc.) and published 58+ peer-reviewed articles and co-edited one book on fish feeding ecology. He has spent considerable time at sea in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, both on surface vessels and in the two Johnson Sea-Link submersibles. Current research efforts involve measuring the impacts of feeding by blue crabs and white shrimp on their saltmarsh benthic prey.

Dr. Feller has taught environmental science, ecology and evolution, marine benthic ecology, introductory oceanography, fundamentals of biological oceanography, advanced biological oceanography, oceanography for non-science majors, fundamentals of inquiry, senior seminar and UNIV 101 for science majors. He was voted Advisor of the Year in the College of Science and Mathematics in 2001, received a Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching award, and was nominated for a graduate student mentorship award. He has coached high school science teams for national competition, judged local school, district-level and Region II science fairs, helped develop curricular materials for high schools, made numerous career day presentations at local elementary, middle and high schools, served as faculty advisor for the Marine Science Undergraduate Society at USC, is a moderator at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl regional competition and has been major professor for over 20 M.S. and Ph.D. students conducting marine science research on topics involving the feeding ecology of fishes, shrimp, marine sediment-dwelling organisms, food webs at deep-sea carbon seeps and pedagogy and assessment in Marine Science Education. Dr. Feller has hosted several high school science teachers for summer research experiences in both the laboratory and field setting. He is currently engaged in a professional development (PD) programs funded by the SC Commission on Higher Education for middle school science teachers in rural, high-needs schools. Teaching middle and high school science teachers PD units on genetics, ecology involving invasive species, evolution and natural selection, Dr. Feller is engaged as both instructor and educational researcher with colleagues in the College of Education. These science units are designed to increase the pedagogical content knowledge and technology skills of science teachers using inquiry. He is also involved in formal Professional Development programs for both elementary and middle school science teachers produced by the Center for Science Education.

Dr. Feller is Principal Investigator for a new (2007) grant from the National Science Foundation entitled “Fueling the Workforce with Science Teacher Scholarships” that awards up to $10,000 per year to qualified needy science and mathematics majors who wish to enter a Master of Arts in Teaching program leading to secondary certification.