Graduate students

​​During my BS in Marine Sciences at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I helped monitor carbonate chemistry and inorganic nutrients in San Luis Obispo Bay and Morro Bay. I also worked on chemical analyses of small-scale Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems using both ambient and artificial seawater. While interning at UC Davis through a summer 2023 REU program, I studied the effects of eelgrass (Zostera marina) genetics on susceptibility to eelgrass wasting disease in Tomales Bay and Bodega Bay. Since starting my master's degree I have been working at the Exploratorium as an on-call technician, tending to the organisms in the Living Systems gallery of the museum. For my thesis, I am investigating the seasonal assemblages of fish residing in eelgrass beds across San Francisco Bay and characterizing the top-down effects of fish predation on epifauna.​​

I received my BS in Environmental Science & Marine Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2017. During my undergrad, I developed a passion for estuaries and wetland ecology while investigating eelgrass decline in Morro Bay and its effects on local species. After graduating, I worked as a marine scientist in Tomales Bay and later managed an outdoor environmental leadership program for youth in the Bay Area. For my master’s thesis, I am studying the effects of ocean acidification and nutrient pollution on eelgrass habitats, with a focus on the herbivory behavior of Ampithoe valida, an invasive invertebrate in San Francisco Bay.

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During my BS in marine biology at UC Santa Cruz, I aided in the monitoring effort of restored eelgrass beds in Elkhorn Slough, including analyzing carbon stocks of these beds. After receiving my degree, I worked as a lead field technician in Elkhorn Slough for two separate experiments in restored marshes. I also worked as a naturalist in Elkhorn Slough, honing my science communication skills. For my thesis in the Boyer Lab, I am investigating the functional properties of restored versus natural eelgrass beds in San Francisco Bay.

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I received my BS in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara, while working with PISCO to investigate rocky intertidal ecosystems. I was also a summer intern in Florida with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Fund working on oyster reef restoration projects and water quality related to harmful algal blooms. Recently, I have contributed to restoration efforts around the Bay Area in tidal marshes. For my thesis, I am working to understand how reef designs for living shorelines affect crab use and trophic interactions with native oysters.

I received my BS in Marine & Coastal Science from UC Davis in 2020. As an undergraduate researcher, I studied the relationship between clam harvesting and organic carbon storage in eelgrass beds in Bodega Harbor. Following my undergrad, I spent a year & a half working at a small tech startup in San Francisco. For my thesis, I am continuing to study "blue carbon" storage as a means to offset carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Specifically, I am focusing on how restoring eelgrass beds can be used to contribute to carbon storage in San Francisco Bay.

After receiving my BA in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley, I sampled plankton along the west coast for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and also worked for the CA Academy of Sciences. I am interested in ecological restoration and how it can be used in nature-based adaptation to climate change. For my thesis, I am investigating how oyster reefs in living shorelines projects influence spatial patterns of wave attenuation and sediment properties, which in turn may affect eelgrass growth.

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Following my BS in wildlife and minor in ecology from the University of Georgia, I worked as a research technician in the San Francisco Bay area investigating vulnerability of salt marshes to sea level rise and avian influenza dynamics in waterfowl and shorebirds. These projects piqued my interest in processes that influence coastal vulnerability to climate change. For my thesis, I am exploring the effects of "thin layer" sediment placement on tidal marsh plants to assess the value/limitations of this method for marsh adaptation to sea level rise.

I have a BS in biology from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. After jobs monitoring giant garter snakes, endangered honeycreepers, and Sonoran desert vegetation, I worked for the USGS and the Invasive Spartina Project on restoration in San Francisco Bay. I am interested in tidal marsh restoration and rare plant propagation. My thesis considers how the source of donor material and site choice influence the success of restoration of the native Spartina foliosa (Pacific cordgrass) following removal of invasive Spartina hybrids.