个人简介

Coastal ecosystems, community ecology, biological oceanography, environmental physiology, conservation biology, natural history and science policy. Research Interests My scientific research focuses on how oceanographic, climatic and anthropogenic factors influence the functioning of coastal ecosystems, spanning the boundaries of disciplines and ecosystems. I also work at the boundary between science and policy in my professional service. I am a member, and co-chair, of the California Ocean Protection Council’s Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT) and serve on the Governing Council for the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS). I earned my BS in Biology from Brooklyn College, City University of New York and my PhD in marine ecology from Oregon State University. I spent two years as an National Science Foundation International Postdoctoral Fellow at the Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad Católica in Las Cruces, Chile and then another two years as postdoctoral fellow with the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans. Before coming to SF State as Director of the Romberg Tiburon Center I was a Professor of Biology at Sonoma State University. My students and I have done field work in rocky intertidal, sandy beach and salt marsh ecosystems, and studied the nearshore and surf zone ecosystems that wash over them. We address questions about the physiological ecology intertidal seaweeds such as how heat and desiccation stress, changes on ocean pH or nutrient availability influence their distribution and abundance. We examine how these factors combine with species interactions to influence intertidal community structure and function. We investigate how surf zone phytoplankton assemblages are influenced by nearshore physical processes. We study ecosystem connectivity between sandy beaches, subtidal kelp forests and other nearby ecosystems. We are interested in how conservation and natural resource management actions, such as marine protected areas and species specific regulations for harvest or take, influence the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems and populations. We conduct experimental and observational research to increase our understanding of how environmental conditions and human activities, including conservation and management policies, influence marine life and ecosystem health. We communicate what we learn to inform conservation and management policies, and to enhance public understanding and appreciation of marine science.