Our People

As the Executive Director, Ben sets the vision and programmatic direction for NCEAS. He also serves as a principal investigator on several projects and working groups. Ben is also a professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

His research interests are primarily in marine ecology and conservation planning, but span a wide range of disciplines. He has led several research initiatives that have influenced ocean management, including a global analysis of the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs), a global assessment of the cumulative impacts of human activities on oceans, and the development and global application of the Ocean Health Index.

Ben has been involved with NCEAS for more than two decades, first as a graduate student participant and a postdoctoral researcher, and later as a Center Associate and Deputy Director. He earned his B.A. in biology from Carleton College in 1995 and his Ph.D. in marine ecology from UC Santa Barbara in 2003.

Marty manages the Network Office of the Long Term Ecological Research Network, coordinating scientific synthesis, education, and engagement activities for 28 research sites in every major U.S. biome.

Since 2005, she has managed collaboration, communications, and outreach in environmental and public health organizations, including Brown University’s Environmental Change Initiative, the New England Aquarium, and the Nature Conservancy, where she led the Science Impact Project, a professional development program for TNC scientists. As a science journalist, she has written for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Technology Review, the news section of Science, and produced news and commentary for public radio. Marty began her career as an ecologist, investigating plant-soil-atmosphere interactions in temperate forests, subarctic forests, and arctic tundra. Use ORCID to view her research publications.

Marty earned her B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and her M.S. in Science Journalism from Boston University.

View her personal website >> 

Matt directs the Informatics program at NCEAS, which focuses on both supporting efficient synthesis through scientific computing and on building new advanced infrastructure to support data sharing, preservation, analysis, and modeling. Matt is the Director of the DataONE program, a global network of interoperable data repositories, and of the NSF Arctic Data Center. In addition to data infrastructure work at NCEAS, Matt also helps to build the NCEAS Learning Hub through an emphasis on data science and reproducible research teaching.

Matt’s career has focused on improving data science infrastructure to support cross-disciplinary and synthetic science, principally through the development of open source software for data repositories, metadata systems, and reproducible analysis and modeling.

Matt has a M.S. in Zoology from the University of Florida that focused on the ecology of plant-animal interactions, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Visit his personal website >> 

Michelle is responsible for NCEAS' financial, facilities, and administrative functions, employing her depth of knowledge in UC finance, contracts and grants, and policy.

She started at NCEAS as Event Coordinator in 2010, then to moved to the Financial Analyst position in 2013, and Contracts and Grants in 2018.

She has a BA in Psychology from UCSB that she uses everyday at NCEAS.

Courtney works to advance the Center’s mission and support cross-Center initiatives that bridge synthesis research, environmental data science and learning activities.

Trained as a marine scientist, Courtney is passionate about bringing interdisciplinary science to bear on real world issues affecting people and the planet.

She received her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UCSB and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aquatic Biology, also from UCSB.

Nancy Baron is a Senior Research Associate for NCEAS and Director of Science Outreach for COMPASS, where she designs and delivers communications and leadership trainings for researchers. She travels the world working with environmental scientists of all stripes. In between, she perches at NCEAS where she enjoys engaging with the NCEAS community and learning about the new science initiatives. If her work and travel schedules align with staff and visiting researchers, she is happy to make herself available for coaching consultations.

Her pioneering science communication book, Escape from the Ivory Tower: A guide to making your science matter, includes many accounts of experiences working with participants of NCEAS working groups.

She began her career as a national parks biologist in Banff, then Director of Education of the Vancouver Aquarium, before morphing into a successful career as a science journalist. Her passion is helping scientists bring their science into society’s conversations for the good of nature and people.

Maddie Berger is an Ocean Health Index fellow brought on to help conduct regional OHI+ assessments for Tetiaroa and Palmyra Atoll. 

Before coming to Bren, Maddie worked as a research intern and symposium coordinator at the Natural Capital Project, where she gained exposure to the different ways researchers were working to quantify the benefits nature provides humans. This past summer, she interned at Conservation International working on mapping indigenous land rights in the Amazon region, where she continued to explore her interest in the intersection between conservation and improved livelihoods.

Maddie is currently completing her Master's degree at the Bren School, specializing in Conservation Planning and Environmental Data Science. She also completed a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Environmental Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Chad Burt is Principal Developer for the McClintock Lab and develops software for marine conservation planning and fisheries management. Our main application, SeaSketch, has been used in over a dozen countries to support marine spatial planning projects.

Chad works to understand how web and spatial technology can be used by a broad set of stakeholders, focusing on the development of user-friendly tools.

Chad received a B.A. in Biology from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Gage works as a project scientist for the Ocean Health Index (OHI). He applies the OHI scientific framework and rigorous data science practices to calculate Global OHI Scores, updating methodology and data sources, and developing new science communication tools.

Prior to NCEAS, Gage was a data analyst for a vacation rental home company, where he worked collaboratively with a team of analysts to create data driven reports. Attending the Bren School allowed him to pivot so as to use his skills in statistics in an applied manner within environmental science.

Gage completed a B.S. in Statistics and Analytics and a B.A. in Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018. He is currently pursuing a MESM at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.

Frank is the Executive Director of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Office, and directed NCEAS from 2011-2016.

Frank is also a Distinguished Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB and Director of the La Kretz Research Center at UCSB's Sedgwick Reserve. His research focuses on the ecology and conservation of California species and ecosystems, oak population biology, and the ecological consequences of climate change.

Frank obtained his Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University and his B.A. in Biology at Williams College.

As a Data Scientist, Haley explores available datasets looking for patterns that help us better understand the world. She is passionate about collaborative, interdisciplinary projects and open science. Prior to joining NCEAS, Haley worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife investigating the impacts of marine reserves on people. Haley has a BS from Oregon State University in Biology studying treefrog habitat selection and a MS from University of Florida in Interdisciplinary Ecology studying antipredator behavior and animal diversity in savannas. 

Melanie collects, analyzes, and visualizes data for several global projects at NCEAS including the Ocean Health Index, cumulative human impact on global oceans, and footprint and costs of food. She also works to promote good data management, analysis, and visualization skills.

Prior to arriving at NCEAS, Melanie worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has worked on various projects, but the link between these efforts is the desire to synthesize complex data and information in ways that help us better understand our world and our impact on it.

Melanie has a PhD in Ecology from the University of Washington studying insect ecology and evolution at high altitude; a Master’s degree in Physiology from Arizona State University studying on oxygen limitations in insects; a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University; and an AA degree from Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ (whew!).

In her role as a team science facilitator, Carrie Kappel helps NCEAS working groups to design and facilitate engaging virtual and in person meetings that strengthen connections across the team, foster creativity and productivity, and model best practices for collaboration. 

Carrie is deeply interested in the process of working across disciplines and sectors to solve complex environmental challenges. In her research she uses collaborative synthesis science to develop solutions that protect marine ecosystems and enhance human wellbeing. Carrie recently led the Ocean Tipping Points project, which sought to integrate scientific understanding of ecosystem tipping points into ocean management through practical tools and approaches.

Carrie has been part of NCEAS since 2006, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a researcher and Senior Fellow. Carrie earned her B.S. in biology with honors from Brown University and her Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University.

Heather is the Project Manager for the Cultivated Seafood project. In collaboration with the Environmental Markets Solution Lab at UCSB, the team aims to understand under which conditions cultivated seafood may have a conservation impact.

With over ten years in both the seafood and technology sectors, this project perfectly combines her background and interest in creating better food systems for people and the planet.

Heather completed her Masters in Environmental Resource Management with an emphasis in coastal conservation at the Bren School at UCSB and a B.S. in Biology at Graceland University in Iowa.

Christopher is a Senior Research Fellow. He examines terrestrial and human systems using scientific synthesis tools including meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and data aggregation. Restoration ecology, human well-being, R statistics, and open science are key themes of research. Additionally, Christopher is a Professor of Ecology at York University, Canada.

Christopher participates in working groups associated with how to do meta-analyses in ecology and evolution, long-term ecological research, scientific synthesis, and bias in the process in the science. He was first at NCEAS as a graduate student in a working group that examined climate change and positive interactions in the alpine. New directions include open data, coding, reproducible science, and evidenced-based management of natural systems.

Christopher has a PhD in community theory, an MSc in evolutionary ecology, a Bachelor of Education, teaching experience in experiential science and curriculum design, and a Bachelor's of Science Honours in biology and cognitive psychology.

Visit his personal website >>

Julia (“Julie”) is part of the Ocean Health Index team and leads the Openscapes mentorship program.

Trained as a marine ecologist, Julie works to increase the visibility, value, and practice of open data science, with particular focus on collaboration and teamwork.

Julie earned her PhD at Stanford University in 2012, studying drivers and impacts of Humboldt squid in a changing climate, following a B.S. in marine biology at the University of California Los Angeles. She was a Mozilla Fellow in 2018-2019.

Visit her personal website >>  

Will is a Senior Fellow at NCEAS, leading a team that develops and implements software for marine monitoring, assessment, and planning. SeaSketch (www.seasketch.org), a web-based mapping application developed in his lab, is used for the collaborative design of marine spatial plans including marine protected areas (MPAs) and other types of zones.

Although trained in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology, as a postdoctoral researcher Will concentrated his work on the development and implementation of geospatial tools for use by non-technical users, first for the design of California's MPAs and later for international marine planning efforts.

He received his B.A. in Biology from Earlham College, M.S. in Behavioral Ecology from the University of Cincinnati, M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Jai is a Senior Fellow at NCEAS and the Executive Director of SciFund Challenge. He trains scientists in various aspects of connecting to broader audiences, such as through video production and social media.

Jai is trained as a landscape ecologist. His current research focuses on the factors that lead to success with science communication and with science crowdfunding.

Jai has a B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University, an M.S in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.

Kim is an independent researcher focused on synthesis science. NCEAS has been her home base since 2005, first as a post-doc, then associate researcher, and now Senior Fellow. During most of that time, she held a joint affiliation with the Tobo Lab at Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, allowing her to bring big-data approaches and a synthesis lens to questions of the ecology, genetics, and management of Hawaii's coral reefs.

Notable contributions include co-leading a long-term NCEAS-based program to map the cumulative human impacts to the oceans, pioneering work in the field of seascape genetics and community genetics, and co-leading the Ocean Tipping Points project to advance tools and embed concepts of socio-ecological regime shifts into marine management. Kim also serves as executive director of the non-profit Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara. As a fisheries advocate, she works to integrate the goals of fishermen, NGOs, and marine managers on topics like climate change adaptation of fisheries, port infrastructure projects and market access. In 2018, she founded Get Hooked Seafood, a Community Supported Fishery that seeks to close the gap between supply and demand for sustainable, local seafood.

Kim received a B.A. from Pomona College in 1997 and Ph.D. in marine ecology from UC Santa Barbara in 2005.

Tim is a Lead Developer for the SeaSketch software platform, supporting marine spatial planning projects around the world. His past roles have been in the areas of forestry, food systems, and transportation planning. Tim is based out of Portland, Oregon and completed a B.S. in Computer Science from Portland State University. You can find Tim at https://dotsconnect.us

Grace is a Smith Conservation Research Fellow at NCEAS, working with The Nature Conservancy and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

As an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, Grace uses spatial science approaches to study how to avoid or reduce natural habitat loss due to human land use--specifically from renewable energy development, reforestation as a climate solution, and food production. Her research goals are to enable sustainable, multi-use landscapes that protect biodiversity and natural resources while meeting critical human needs. She enjoys working alongside practitioners and scientists at government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and environmental NGOs.

Grace earned an MS and PhD in Energy and Resources from the University of California Berkeley, an MPhil in Evolutionary Biology from University of Cambridge, and a BA in Biology and minor in History from Pomona College.

As a senior data scientist, Julien helps our synthesis working groups to transform their data and computing challenges into solvable tasks. While promoting reproducible science-based practices, Julien advises and trains our experts on how to best combine and analyze heterogeneous data sets, as well as scaling their analysis. He is also an instructor in our data science training efforts.

Julien’s scientific expertise is in ecohydrology, Earth observation techniques (remote sensing and GIS), and process-based models.

Prior to obtaining his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, Julien conducted several projects on land cover change, vegetation monitoring, and disaster mapping for governmental and international institutions.

Visit his personal website >> 

Angel Chen supports LTER synthesis groups by developing data pipelines and reproducible analytical workflows to integrate various sources of data. Angel previously worked as a data curator for the Arctic Data Center, helping researchers archive and store their data.

Angel recently completed a B.S. in statistics & data science at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jeanette helps researchers make their research more reproducible and open by helping them publish data on the Arctic Data Center, and teaching them software and workflow techniques in training events.

She is broadly interested in ways to bring reproducible research and open data practices to researchers in order to facilitate collective knowledge production in science. Prior to working at NCEAS, Jeanette brought her oceanography knowledge to a coral reef ecology research group at the NOAA Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center. The experience she had working with long-term monitoring data there ultimately drove her interest in working with data more broadly across multiple fields at NCEAS.

She has a masters in physical oceanography from the University of Hawaii.

Visit her personal website >>

As the Data Training Coordinator, Sam works to develop and teach data science curricula for the Masters in Environmental Data Science (MEDS) program and data science initiatives across NCEAS and UCSB.

Previously, Sam worked as a Data Fellow with the Arctic Data Center and informatics team at NCEAS, with a focus on using data semantics to make data more readily discoverable within online repositories. She is also a co-organizer of R-Ladies Santa Barbara, a local data science group which works to promote diversity in the R community.

She received her M.S. from the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020, following a B.S. in Marine Biology from Northeastern University in 2016.

Erika Egg aids with data management as an Arctic Data Center Intern. She has a deep interest in how data science and technology interact with a wide variety of fields. Accordingly, she is triple majoring in Environmental Studies, Linguistics (Emphasis in Speech and Language Technologies), and History of Art and Architecture (Emphasis in Architecture and Environment) at UCSB in hopes of gaining an educational background that can help her better understand the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the world.

Jake Eisaguirre is the Data Manager for the Resilience Institute Bridging Biological Training and Research (RIBBiTR) aiding in the understanding of emerging infectious amphibian diseases. Jake received a B.S. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Following graduation, Jake worked as a research technician conducting kelp forest surveys at the Northern Channel Islands and analyzing long term kelp forest data. He then went on and received a Master’s in Environmental Data Science from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Jake is excited to apply his new passion of data science to the natural world in hopes of better understanding ecosystem resilience. 

Visit his personal website.

Carmen is working on the NCEAS AI for Earth project, which aims to develop an automated approach for rapid ecosystem assessment by leveraging Microsoft Azure cloud and AI tools. She collaboratively develops reproducible analytical workflows and machine learning models to evaluate ecosystem health.

In July 2021, Carmen graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. During her graduate studies, she worked on environmental data analysis projects at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration. She previously received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Guanajuato in Mexico in 2015.

As part of the scientific computing support staff, Thomas provides IT support for our residents, working groups, and other visitors.

Thomas has over 20 years of experience in IT support and is an expert in general system and network administration.

He has a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on telecommunications and computer architecture. He is also a Microsoft Certified Solutions expert and electronics technician.

Working groups and visitors can approach him with any questions technical (or even non-technical) nature! 

Nick Lyon is a data analyst for NCEAS focusing on supporting LTER working groups in the managing and processing of data prerequisite to analysis and visualization. Trained as a restoration ecologist focusing on interacting communities of plants and insects, Nick has extensive experience taking "raw" field-collected data and readying it for hypothesis testing in a rigorous, transparent way. Nick completed his MS In Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University. His personal website is www.nicholasjlyon.com and his Twitter handle is @scilyon

Rushiraj is a Scientific Software Engineer building software for open science. Specific projects he's worked on include DataONE Metrics Service and EZID--an identifier management system.

Intrigued by Computer Science he taught himself to program computers at an early age and started his contribution to the open science community as an intern at United States Geological Survey.

Rushiraj graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a Master's degree in Computer Science and with a Bachelor's of Technology in Information Technology from Nirma University.

Nick works with staff, scientists, and developers to provide and optimize computing resources such as servers, networking, and cloud services.

Focusing on Linux, server hardware, and the latest technologies, Nick strives to keep services online and secure while also making them friendlier to use.

Nick has a B.A. in Art with a focus on Digital Media from UCSB.

Mark was the Director of Computing at NCEAS from it's opening in 1995 until 2017, in charge of building and maintaining the computational infrastructure, and supervising the scientific computing staff. He recently "semi-retired" to become a Center Associate, focused on Ecoinformatics research.

Mark's main research interest is in how to organize data for ecological syntheses. He is currently working in the area of data semantics and knowledge graphs, where they are using new logic-technology approaches to make data more readily discoverable and re-usable over the Web.

He grew up and went to high school in Southern California, but headed back east to Harvard for an undergraduate degree in Biology. Mark came back to UC Santa Barbara for a PhD in marine ecology, doing research on coral reef fish in the San Blas Islands of Panama.

Jing is a software engineer at NCEAS, working on different environmental software projects, including Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB), Science Environment for Ecological Knowledge (SEEK), Kepler and Data Observation Network for Earth (DataONE).

Jing focuses on developing robust, efficient and scalable software products from desktop applications to server repositories for environmental scientists, ecologists, and biologists.

Jing has a combined educational background of both chemistry and computer science. He completed a Ph.D of polymer chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a M. S. of computer science at the University of Montana, Missoula.

Thomas develops products that help researchers store, share, and reproduce their experiments in convenient ways. This work is done through the Whole Tale project.

Thomas is interested in simulation of physical processes, mathematics, and has previously worked on technology for characterizing nanoparticles.

Thomas completed his bachelors in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University.

As Projects Data Coordinator, Daphne helps researchers manage and archive their data, making it more readily discoverable within the Arctic Data Center online repository. This ensures data are available for use by others and contributes to the spirit of reproducible open science. Additionally, Daphne assists with trainings aimed at teaching researchers data analysis and management techniques.

Prior to joining NCEAS, Daphne worked as an environmental planner where she wrote State and federal policy documents outlining the environmental impact of proposed housing developments and water infrastructure projects within California. She has also previously worked in the non-profit sector, bridging the gap between historically marginalized individuals and their presence within the technology sector.

Daphne has a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a MESM in Conservation Planning from the Bren School at the University of California Santa Barbara. Her Master’s research focused on spatially identifying areas of the Dangermond Preserve where environmental education programs would cause the least ecological harm during different seasons, and providing this information to The Nature Conservancy to guide their decision-making processes regarding future environmental programs throughout the preserve.

Cat Fong is a postdoctoral scholar on the Conservation Aquaculture Research Team (CART), with a focus on the future of aquaculture in California.

Trained as an experimental marine ecologist, Cat is primarily interested in the consequences of human impacts on communities, and has worked in a range of tropical systems, including French Polynesia, Panama, and the Galapagos. A primary goal of Cat’s is to integrate mentorship of under-represented students and collaborators into her research program. She is always happy to discuss career opportunities and professional paths!

Cat completed a PhD in marine parasitology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She was then awarded a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (NSF-PRFB) where she studied the effects of overfishing, nutrient pollution, and sedimentation as drivers of phase shifts on tropical reefs.

IG: drcatfong
Twitter: SaltLifeScience
 

Joshua Smith is a postdoctoral scholar with the California MPA Network Project.

Josh is a population, community, and ecosystem ecologist studying how species interactions shape the structure, functioning, and stability of nearshore marine ecosystems. His research focuses on temperate reefs and investigates how factors such as environmental perturbations (e.g., marine heatwaves) and species interactions alter community and ecosystem dynamics.

Before NCEAS, Josh completed postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he conducted a decadal review of rocky intertidal marine protected areas in California. He received his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a B.Sc. in marine science at California State University Monterey Bay.

As the Financial Analyst, Isabel is responsible for the daily management of NCEAS’ financial matters. This includes personnel processes, on-boarding of new employees, purchasing & payment processing, and payroll management.

Isabel received her B.A. in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College.

Gabriel De La Rosa is the communication coordinator for the Long Term Ecological Research network. He facilitates communication between the many researchers and institutions across the world involved in the network.

Gabriel's passion lies in science communication and, while previously working as a research scientist in fisheries and marine spatial planning, he sought to communicate the results of his and others work to a broad audience. Gabriel has created short videos, executive summaries, and data visualizations for a variety of research initiatives.

Gabriel received his Masters of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and a B.A. in Molecular Biology from Colorado College. His personal website is gabrieldelarosa.com

As Events Coordinator, Ginger communicates closely with working groups to arrange dates, hotels, transportation, and all meeting-related logistics. She is a key contact for welcoming visitors and new residents, arranging Center activities, and managing the Director's and Events calendars.

Ginger is enthusiastic about the NCEAS community and enjoys working directly with a wide variety of staff, scientists, working group participants, and affiliates.

Ginger graduated from UCSB with a BA in Cultural Anthropology and has been with NCEAS since 2001.

As Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator for the Arctic Data Center, Natasha runs communication portals, including Twitter, blogs, and newsletters. She is working to engage with a broader audience to expand the usage of the repository. 

Natasha is passionate about greater engagement between scientists and communities in the Arctic. Most recently, Natasha completed her Master's Degree in Geography. For her research, Natasha worked for an Indigenous community in the Canadian Arctic as they planned and developed a protected area. Using GIS spatial analysis, she spatially examined how an Indigenous community's approach to conservation compared with a "systematic conservation planning" approach led by a regional conservation organization. For this case study, Natasha worked with many different organizations including WWF Canada, the Arctic Eider Society, and the Government of Nunavut. 

Natasha has a B.A in Economics from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Geography from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Jamie is the coordinator for the Master's of Environmental Data Science (MEDS) degree program, a joint partnership between NCEAS and the Bren School of Environmental Data Science & Management. 

Previously, Jamie worked as a marine data scientist at NCEAS, where she served as the lead analyst on the US Northeast Ocean Health Index project.

Her research experience includes synthesizing large spatial datasets to estimate and track human impacts on the global oceans and assessing the potential of aquaculture as a marine conservation strategy. She is also co-founder of local data science study groups, including R-Ladies Santa Barbara and EcoDataScience.

Jamie has a Masters in Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UCSB, and a B.Sc in Marine Biology from the University of Miami.

Ana Peters is the Contracts and Grants Analyst for NCEAS. She helps facilitate the proposal process and works closely with PIs, Sponsors and the Office of Research. If you have any questions regarding the proposal process or potential funding opportunities, please feel free to contact her via email.

Alex supports NCEAS by facilitating communication of cutting-edge science to the community, other scientists, journalists, and policymakers. She received her BA in biology from the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara and PhD in geochemistry from Caltech. Her PhD focused on organic sulfur in oceans and lakes as well as how social media can display diverse role models for women in STEM. She is also a photographer and graphic designer and uses these passions to make science communication more beautiful and effective. 

Sarah cultivates support for NCEAS through fundraising and facilitating strategic partnerships.

With over 15 years of experience in environmental science and management, Sarah has helped nonprofit organizations and government agencies advance programs, policies, and campaigns to better understand and advance science-based solutions to environmental problems, primarily facing coastal waters and watersheds. She was previously Vice President for Heal the Bay, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Honda Marine Science Foundation.

Sarah received her Master's of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, and B.S. in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of New Hampshire.

In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Kelly is the lead Conservation Technology Manager at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, where she oversee GIS and technology projects related to the operation, management, and research at the Preserve.

Prior to joining TNC, Kelly was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the California Heartbeat Initiative, where she linked field-based experiments and sensor networks with repeat UAV surveys to study plant-water interactions across the network of University of California Natural Reserves.

She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

As part of the Casell Lab, Camila is the data manager for the Palmyra Atoll Data Library (PADL), where she is responsible for retrieving and organizing data sets for all of the research that has been conducted at Palmyra Atoll for the last twenty years, which she will then publish to the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) repository. This project is led by The Nature Conservancy's Palmyra Program, which aims to make Palmyra’s research and data easily accessible to potential users.

Previously, Camila has worked as research assistant at UCSB curating historical California fisheries data, and as a data manager for a project to develop an estimate of abandoned or lost fishing gear in the ocean. She has also researched social-ecological systems, working with small-scale fisher communities in Chile, to understand how collective action can improve coastal resource management. She was also the operation manager for Get Hooked Seafood.

Camila has a Masters in Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UCSB, and a B.Sc in Biology from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.