Shadaesha is a graduate of Hampton University, where she received a B.S. in Marine and Environmental Science and a minor in Biology. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the MEES graduate program at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science-Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (UMCES-IMET). Upon entrance into graduate school she received the two-year Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Program (LSAMP) Bridge-to-Doctorate Fellowship Award. Shadaesha is currently in her third year studying under the advisory of Dr. J. Sook Chung. Her research is focused on crustacean physiology and endocrinology using the red deep-sea crab, Chaceon quinquedens, as her species of interest. Specifically, her research will investigate the reproductive biology of females placing an emphasis on characterizing putative hormonal reproductive regulators. Her work also extends to studying the genetic structure of red deep-sea crab population along the coast of the United States. The ultimate goal of her research to gain an understanding of the reproductive endocrinology of female red deep-sea crab throughout various life phases and to delineate the current genetic diversity populations of this species.