Born and raised along the shores of the California Current, I am an avid surfer, diver, and naturalist. From setting up novel experiments while fighting currents in frigid Aleutian waters on a collaborative research project, to working across borders to complete my master’s degree, to engaging with stakeholders and constituents on a myriad of regulatory processes, I am doing my best to my background in both field and laboratory studies to be an informer of science, policy, and management.

My research experience has taken me from the Bering Strait to Baja California, on a Russian Icebreaker from Bremerhaven, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa, and even to the Mediterranean Sea. While I’ve participated on a number of marine-related projects, I’ve always been passionate about marine community ecology (esp. kelp forests), and the intersection between ecological resilience and climate change. I love participating in outreach and education events, and sharing my passion with wide audiences from diverse backgrounds.

After completing a Masters of Science in Dr. Matthew Edwards BEERPIGs lab at San Diego State University in 2018, I joined Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) as a California Sea Grant state fellow. Following the completion of this one year policy and management fellowship, and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 I stayed on with CINMS as a research contractor. As a member of the research team, I supported research operations within the sanctuary, and helped develop a novel education/science/management tool known as a “Web-enabled condition report” (see: code examples for more information). While I thoroughly enjoyed my time with CINMS, in 2022 I began a new position as a marine scientist with Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, in Washington State. For one year, I supported research operations, helped manage the sanctuary’s data, and dabbled in the management of the sanctuary as well.

As of May 2023 I’m proud to say that I joined California’s Ocean Protection Council as the Biodiversity Program Manager! It is an honor to return to my home state to help advance efforts to protect and conserve California’s rich and vibrant coastal communities.

Interested in collaborating, kelp facts, and other marine-science related things? Feel free to reach out! mspector.ecology[at]gmail.com

More resources:

Check out my twitter feed for more sci-comm!

For code, projects, and repos, check out my Github profile

For more information about my previous experience in graduate school, check out Lower Case Science, my deprecated science communication blog