BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Tech professor's passion for sharks has landed her a part of the predators' spotlight this week.

Now she is going “on-air,” under the sea, in three Shark Week programs on the Discovery and NatGeo networks.

​“We are trying to give people a picture of what you normally don't see on TV, which is real research," says Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, who is head of the Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab.

This week, she is getting a chance to showcase her passion for studying sharks, on the biggest stage focused on the sea predators.

"It's been mind-blowing to meet some really talented and amazing people and talk about my research to a huge audience," Daly-Engel says.

Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, head of the Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab, studies the shark population and the role the predators play in nature. (Photo Courtesy of Florida Tech)

The work is tailor-made for the expert, whose research delves into the study of shark mating systems and their habitat use, plus the population of the predators.

And she is getting up close with the sharks she is passionate about and the role they play in nature.

"They really are as predators, in charge of keeping all of the other levels of the food web in balance, and they do that by weeding out the sick, weak, mutated members of all the different prey species," Daly-Engel explains.

The experience was top-notch for Daly-Engel, getting to share research and the work Florida Tech does every day.

"We aren't the typical macho, shark wranglers, but most of the people doing the work actually are women," she says.