Click here to download my CV | For publications, click here

Education

San Diego State University

2015 - 2018 Master of Science in Biology (focus in ecology)

Advisor: Dr. Matthew Edwards

Thesis: Speaking for the Understory: Quantifying the Loss of Benthic Production on Temperate Rocky Reefs

University of California Santa Cruz

2008 - 2012 Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology

Undergraduate advisors: Drs. Pete Raimondi, Mark Carr, Giacomo Bernardi

Thesis: Sand scour affects the distribution of subtidal barnacle on rocky reefs at Hopkins Marine Station

Professional Experience

Biodiversity Program Manager - California Ocean Protection Council

2023 - Present

  • Policy Development and Analysis
  • Contract and Grant Management
  • Facilitation of and participation in interagency government working group
  • Engage with agency leadership and external partners
  • Serve as staff expert on issues related to coastal and marine issues

Marine Scientist - NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

2022 - 2023

  • Facilitate and support moorings operations within Olympic Islands NMS
  • Facilitate and support other sanctuary research initiatives
  • Support sanctuary planning and logistics
  • Technical report writing
  • Data collection, curation, visualization, and database management
  • Creation and curation of Web-enabled Condition Reports

Research Operations Specialist - Cardinal Point Captains Inc. 

2020 - 2021

  • Contractor with Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
  • Facilitated and support research operations for Channel Islands NMS
  • Technical report writing
  • Contributed to the publication of scientific papers
  • Data collection, curation, and database management
  • Creation and curation of Web-enabled Condition Report

California Sea Grant State Fellow

2019 - 2020

  • Post-graduate agency fellow with Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
  • Supported Sanctuary outreach and education
  • Supported and facilitate the Sanctuary Advisory Council
  • Preliminary drafting of sanctuary management plans

NOAA Catch-Shares Fishery Observer - Alaska Observers Inc. 

2013 - 2014

  • West Coast Groundfish Fishery observer
  • Identified, counted, and enumerated bycatch at sea on commercial fishing vessels
  • Monitored dockside offload of retained fishes

Research Experience

Field projects / expeditions

2010 - Present

  • AAUS scientific diving:
    • Subtidal projects across the Aleutian Archipelago; Channel Islands, CA; Monterey, CA; San Diego, CA; Baja California, MX; Corsica, FR; National Parks, various, US; Palos Verdes, CA
  • Research cruises:
    • Aleutian Archipelago (2016 - 2017), Bremerhaven, GR to Cape Town, SA; Channel Islands (various, 2019-2021)
  • Intertidal surveys:
    • Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, in partnership with MARINe (2022)
  • Laboratory experiments:
    • Photosynthesis vs. Irradiance curves (2015 - 2018)
  • Field qualifications:
    • AAUS scientific diver; drysuit; Nitrox, decompression, NOAA divemaster, PADI divemaster
    • Motorboat operator (MOCC)

Graduate Research Assistant - San Diego State University

2016 - 2018

  • Helped design and execute a subtidal experiment in kelp forests, urchin barrens, and transitions zones spanning the Aleutian Archipelago (2016-17)
  • Contributed to the analysis of data collected from field and ship-board experiments
  • Contributed to the publication of this work

National Park Service dive intern - Our World Underwater Scholarship Society®

Summer 2015

  • Further developed SCUBA skill set (e.g, decompression diving, drysuit etc.)
  • Participated on research projects
  • Served as a liaison between the across the National Park Service public and Park Service staff system

Teaching Experience

Public speaking / science communication

2015 - Present

  • Presentations at scientific conferences (see CV)
  • Invited to give talks to adult learners / continued education about marine flora and fauna
  • Invited to give career talks to incoming undergraduates and undergraduate seniors
  • K-12 presentations at outreach/education events

Principles of Organismal Biology (lab) - San Diego State University

2015 - 2018

  • Instructor for organismal / evolutionary biology lab
  • Wrote and administered lectures for undergradaute lab
  • Provided instructional support for laboratory assignments
  • Wrote, administered, and graded quizzes and exams

Tutor / supplemental educational support - UCSC Modified Supplemental Instruction

2010 - 2012

  • Provided one-on-on and group tutoring sessions for upper division Ecology and Biology of Reefs, Mangroves, and Seagrasses courses
  • Worked with professors to tailor tutoring sessions to student’s needs

Mentorship

2016 - 2019

  • Graduate
    • Served as a mentor for undergraduates while at SDSU
      • Trained undergraduate volunteers to conduct SCUBA surveys, help with field and lab experiments, and grant writing
  • Project Pegasus
    • Lead a team of high school volunteers in the construction of a remotely operated vehicle
    • Mentored team members; assigned writing projects to develop ideas, had team members contribute to weekly blog posts (see: Project Pegasus archives)

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