People
Associate Professor
The College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, PhD, 2014
University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, MS, 2003
Connecticut College, BA, 1998
I'm an applied marine ecologist focusing on fishes, fish habitats, and impacts of human disturbance in coastal ecosystems
My quantitative skills allow me to employ models—statistical, ecosystem, spatial, and individual-based—in conjunction with robust field data to make observations and draw inferences about coastal ecosystems. My research spans taxa (including plants and invertebrates, but mostly focused on fishes), geographic regions, and disciplines, from basic ecology to policy.
Graduate Students
Sean Grealish
Started: Fall 2023
Hometown: Portland, OR
Undergraduate Degree: BS, University of Puget Sound
Master's Research: Sean is collecting invertebrates across restoration areas in the Snohomish estuary to obtain the energy density of prey available to juvenile Chinook salmon during their spring outmigration. His work will highlight how factors such as habitat type, restoration stage, and tidal cycle influence prey availability. A better understanding of how estuary restoration impacts prey availability will allow managers to better target their planning of future restoration projects to maximize benefits for juvenile Chinook salmon during a critical life stage.
Science Interests: Fisheries biology, Restoration ecology, Climate change impacts, Food web interactions
Life Interests: Mountain and gravel biking, downhill and xc skiing, sailing and birding
Favorite Critter: River Otter
Jon McLean
Started: Fall 2023
Hometown: Reno, NV
Undergraduate Degree: BS, University of Washington
Master's Research: Jon's is studying how juvenile Chinook salmon feed on aggregations of crab larvae in the Whidbey Basin by comparing ambient crab larvae densities to fish diets. Completing this project will allow us to apply a bioenergetics model on a spatial scale, identifying hotspots of potential salmon growth throughout the basin. Determining where growth potential is highest is important for understanding how salmon grow during their critical growth period to avert size-selective mortality.
Science Interests: Salmonid ecology, age and growth, marine survival, food-web interactions
Life Interests: Model building, paddleboarding, running
Favorite Critter: Spotted Ratfish
Anthony Tulloch
Started: Fall 2023
Hometown: Lacey, WA
Undergraduate Degree: BS, Western Washington University
Master's Research: Anthony is quantifying the available estuary rearing habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon within the Whidbey Basin resulting from estuarine restoration projects that have occurred since the early 2000’s. This project will examine the changes in habitat availability and connectivity from a fish-eye view, as well as quantify habitat metrics that affect juvenile Chinook salmon accessibility to rearing habitat (opportunity metrics) and those that influence juvenile Chinook salmon productivity (capacity metrics). Following the examination of these factors influencing rearing habitat of juvenile Chinook salmon, the potential carrying capacity of these restoration project sites, estuaries, and the Whidbey Basin will be examined. This work will ultimately be used as a framework for future statistical and spatial analyses of estuarine restoration projects in relation to juvenile Chinook populations and their response to restoration.
Science Interests: Fishery Science, Ecology,
Paleontology, Paleoecology, Habitat and Species Recovery, Habitat and Data Analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Life Interests: Hiking, Fossil Hunting, Tide pooling,
Reading
Favorite Critter: Ammonite
Started: Fall 2024
Hometown:
Undergraduate Degree: BS, Western Washington University
Master's Research:
Science Interests:
Life Interests:
Favorite Critter:
Undergraduate Students
Alex Haase
Hometown: Lafayette, CA
Major: Environmental Science - Marine Emphasis Minor: Geographic Information Science/Systems (GIS)
Science Interests: Marine Conservation, Habitat Restoration
Marine science, restoration
Life Interests: Paddle Boarding, Cooking, Painting
Favorite Critter: Bat ray
McKenna Varela
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Major: Environmental Science: Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology Emphasis
Minors: GIS, Climate Leadership Certifcate
Science Interests: Fisheries/Wildlife Management
Life Interests: Hammocking, walking beaches
Favorite Critter: Quillback Rockfish
Rhiannon Holmes
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: Environmental Science
Science Interests: Marine conservation, Indigenous-led conservation, restoration ecology, climate change, ocean acidification
Life Interests: Hiking, nature photography, tide pooling, reading
Favorite Critter: Sea otter
Sarah Granard
Lab Alumni
Rebecca Haehn
MS, Graduated Fall 2023
Thesis: Visual characteristics of walleye pollock and Chinook salmon: Modeling theoretical visual space and target contrast of trawling materials in the Bering Sea
Heidi Stewart
MS, Graduated Fall 2022
Thesis: Avian and Shallow Water Community Response to Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Spawn Events
Undergraduate Degree: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Meghan Bugaj
MS, Graduated Fall 2022
Thesis: Species Distribution and Abundance of Bering Sea Tunicates with Implications for Coastal Food Security
Undergraduate Degree: BS, Michigan State University
Lucy Greeley
BS, WWU, 2023
Major: Marine and Coastal Science
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Science Interests: Reproductive strategies of fishes and invertebrates, nursery and estuarine habitats, mutualistic relationships, impacts of climate change on Salish Sea
Life interests: Rock climbing, gardening at the Outback, learning to sail, visiting as many National Parks as possible!
Favorite Place: Lisbon, Portugal
Favorite Critter: Peacock mantis shrimp
Garrett Klee
BS, WWU, 2022
Major: Environmental Sciences
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: Environmental Science - Marine Emphasis
Science Interests: Fisheries science, spatial ecology, fisheries oceanography
Life Interests: Soccer, cycling
Favorite Critter: Wolf Eel
