In addition to faculty, several independent Professional Researchers are associated with IMS. Before formal appointments are initiated, by either the ORU or by individual faculty who have grant support for research projects, these researchers are evaluated in light of their research accomplishments, extramural funding, publications, potential interaction with faculty and students, and space and other resource commitments that must be made to support their work. Affiliated researchers are those individuals that utilize any of the ORU’s resources (space, seawater, equipment, etc) and/or individuals whose research falls within one of the seven research clusters supported by IMS. IMS only appoints affiliates in the ORU based on the individual researchers request to be associated with the ORU. Prospective researchers are reviewed first by the individual cluster group and then the IMS Advisory Committee before a letter requesting an appointment goes forward to the Dean. Research appointments and periodic evaluations follow the campus’s academic personnel procedures for the professional research series. Current IMS researchers include principal investigators in several disciplines who may serve the campus as adjunct faculty, educators, or lecturers.

Michael Beck, Researcher, Professor & AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience: Marine conservation, regional biodiversity planning, habitat restoration, marine proprietary rights.

Caroline Casey, Assistant Researcher:

Megan Cimino, Assistant Research: Combines data from remote sensing technologies with biological observations to understand relationships bewteen living organisims and their habitat. Ultimate goal is a deeper understanding of the physical factors that drive species demographics, distributions and movements, which contributes to our understanding of ecosystem function, climate impacts and aids in conservation.

Miles Daniels, Assistant Research: Conducts research using coupled hydrodynamic and biological models in the California Central Valley to improve water management for protected salmon species.

Eric Danner, Associate Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Spatial patterns in ecology using coupled physical and biological models to understand how climate and water management interact to impact the diverse range of aquatic habitats in California’s Central Valley watershed

Peter Dudley, Assistant Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Adapting an existing salmon life-cycle simulation model for a case study focused on Sacramento River Winter Run Chinook salmon egg-to-fry life stages.

John Field, Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Understanding the spatial scales of recruitment processes, investigating the mechanisms that drive recruitment variability and the spatial distribution of forage species, ecosystem interactions between variable forage abundance and higher trophic level predators, improved methods for stock assessments, the reproductive ecology of groundfish, and the role of climate variability and climate change in all of these respective processes.

Andrew Hein, Assistant Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Modeler and ecologist, with a diverse range of interests from animal movement to ecosystem ecology.

David Herbst, Researcher: Climate change and headwater streams of the Sierra, ecological effects of sediment in streams, salinity increase in salt lakes, acid mine drainage recovery in streams, meadow restoration, and studies of coastal tributary streams of the San Lorenzo and Pajaro River watersheds.

Rachel Holser, Assistant Researcher: Connecting ocean conditions to the behavior and success of marine mammal populations. Particularly interested in variability in behavior, what drives and maintains that variability, and what the ecological consequences are for a population.

Luis Huckstadt, Assistant Researcher: Understanding the role that large predators, particularly marine mammals, play in marine ecosystems, especially in areas more susceptible to human-induced climatic change such as upwelling and polar marine systems. Uses Biologging technologies and Stable Isotope Analysis to improve our understanding of the link between changing environments and the at-sea behaviors of marine top predators.

Rachel Johnson, Associate Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Fisheries and isotope ecology.

Joe Kiernan, Assistant Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: How resource subsidies, environmental stochasticity, and biotic interactions affect the structure and function of riverine communities; particularly the relative and synergistic roles of physical habitat, hydrology, and food web structure in determining the growth and production of juvenile salmonids, and how these factors vary across both time and space.

Steven Lindley, Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Physical environment influences the dynamics of aquatic populations and communities, particularly involving Chinook salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon, in systems ranging from small coastal watersheds to the northeast Pacific.

Peter Nelson, Associate Researcher: Field, laboratory, and theoretical studies of fisheries, fish behavior and physiology, coral reef biology, and marine ecology.

Shawn Noren, Research Scientist: Comparative physiological ecology of marine vertebrates.

Carrie Pomeroy, Research Scientist: Human dimensions of fisheries and fishing communities, and how environmental, regulatory, social and economic factors affect their function and well-being.

Gregory Rau, Researcher Recalled: Carbon / CO2  cycling, management , mitigation, and use; policy and societal action.

Colleen Reichmuth, Research Scientist: Psychological and physiological mechanisms related to behavioral flexibility in marine mammals.

Dale Robinsion, Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Retrospective analyses of historical environmental data sets and numerical model simulations, run in both hindcast and forecast modes; identification and characterization of critical marine habitat from remote sensing; and development and validation of oceanographic indices for use in California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs).

Juan Zwolinski, Associate Researcher/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Automation of data processing of satellite-sensed oceanographic conditions and acoustic-trawl surveys for routinely predicting and surveying potential sardine habitat and rapidly estimating the abundances and distributions of coastal pelagic species and krill.

The institute appoints individuals who make significant and creative contributions to research projects. These individuals are either ongoing members of a research team or are employed for a limited period to contribute high-level skills to a specific research program. Project Scientist may obtain PI status upon approved ETP.

Joe Bizzarro, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Evaluate prey as a component of essential fish habitat (EFH) for Pacific Groundfishes, and Review and update biological and ecological information in the NMFS Habitat Use Database (HUD) in support of groundfish EFH.

Patrick Barnard, Project Scientist: 

Benjamin Burford, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Ecophysiology, social behavior, migration biology, inter-individual behavioral variation

Anthony Clemento, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Identification of the genes responsible for life-history variation in salmon and trout. Application of modern genetic methods to endangered species management and conservation.

Allison Cluett, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Flora Cordoleani, Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: The study of marine biological systems through the use of mathematical models and statistical tools. Josh Cullen, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Jeff Davis, Project Scientist, CDFW-OSPR: Aerial Survey Team Leader, organizing all flights, reviewing all trip reports, and participating in surveys.

Tim Frawley, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program

James Gilbert, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Running, interpreting and analyzing varoius water budget simulation models.

Nicholas Grunloh: Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Neosha Kashef, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Fisheries ecology, reproductive biology, aquaculture and natural history of northeast Pacific Coast groundfishes. Early life history with an emphasis on larval fish biology, recruitment mechanisms and factors affecting survival. Effects of environmental change on behavior, physiology, reproduction and embryonic development in rockfishes with a focus on ocean acidification and hypoxia. 

Cynthia Kern, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Nerea Lezama Ochoa, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Pelayo Menendez Fernandez, Assistant Project Scientist: Wave Energy Conservsion feasibility in California and coastal risk in other regions.

Cyril Michel, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: The survival and migrations of imperiled juvenile salmon in California.

Rebecca Miller, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Benjamin Norris, Assistant Project Scientist: The development of “green infrastructure” or nature-based solutions mitigating coastal hazards such as flooding and erosion.

Jeremy Notch, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Acoustic telemetry, surgical tagging of fish.

Simone Olivetti, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Relationship between fish survival and population dynamics of the flows in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.

Ann-Marie Osterback, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Synergistic effects of climate, hydrology, and habitat on life-history expression by coho salmon and steelhead trout in coastal California watersheds.

Maria Mercedes Pozo Buil, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Investigating the variability, long term change, and predictability of the California Current System.

Antonella Preti: Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Trophic ecology, stomach content and stable isotope analysis of large predators (thresher, blue, mako sharks, swordfish and marine mammals), parasitology, educational outreach and conservation.

Kerry Reid, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Isaac Schroeder, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Emphasis is to improve the interpretation of pre-recruit indices and biodiversity indices of commercially and recreationally important groundfish stock assessments by linking spatial and temporal dynamics to environmental forcing. Also, nderstand how environmental variability influences forage fish abundances and distributions that can influence sea lion reproductive success.

Jillian Sills, Associate Project Scientist: Auditory sense of arctic seals.

David Stafford, Assistant Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Effects of climate change on reproduction, behavior and physiology in larval rockfishes.

Desiree Tommasi, Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Development of a robust management strategy evaluation (MSE) framework to enable the identification of effective management approaches for migratory species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and California Current Ecosystem.

Heather Welch, Associate Project Scientist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Faculty and researchers affiliated with the institute employ a number of technical staff funded by extramural contracts and grants. These individuals contribute specialized knowledge or expertise in support of marine research.

Benjamin Atencio, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Research and conservatio of anadromous salmonids

Brian Battaile, Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Rosealea Bond, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Coastal Ecology (Salmonids)

Jessica Frey (Bray), Assistant Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Rachel Brooks, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: 

Ian Budesa, Jr. Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Ellen Campbell, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Phillip Capitolo, Specialist, CDFW-OSPR: Conduct at-sea aerial surveys of birds and mammals, including surveys in response to oil spills.

Jessica Choi, Assistant Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Cassondra Columbus, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Nicholas Demetras, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Salmon Movement & Predator Studies 

Brian Dreyer, Specialist: Manager of the Institute of Marine Sciences Analytical Laboratories.

Glenn Ford, Specialist, CDFW-OSPR: Behavioral ecology and population dynamics of vertebrates, including:  computer modeling of space‑use patterns, demographic modeling of population response to environmental change, and recovery rates; statistical analysis of transect data for determination of population size and distribution; oil spill trajectory modeling, and analysis of risk to biological resources and habitat; development of computer graphics and information‑access systems for planning and management of marine resources; estimation of seabird mortality from oil spills; collection and analysis of beached bird survey data.

Camila Gaido, Specialist: Risk, coastal hazard mitigation and ecosystem restoration in coral reef environments by way of models and simulations.

David Gutierrez-Barcelo, Specialist:

Brendan Lehman, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Planning, logistics, equipment preparation, data collection, and data analysis for Salmon Predator project.

Chris Lowrie, Associate Specialist:

Hayley Mapes, Assistant Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Bishal Neupane, Associate Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Sara John Paddock, Specialist: Fisheries Collaborative Program; Development and application of physical and biological models on the interactions of water management and endangered Chinook salmon in California’s Central Valley.

Rebecca Robinson, Assistant Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Lance Takata, Assistant Specialist/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

With the exception of SWFSC and USGS research affiliates, IMS appoints a limited number of courtesy appointments (Research Fellow and Research Associate). Courtesy appointments are honorary titles appointed to non-UCSC affiliated scholars and scientists of distinguished standing that are interested in continuing their research, scholarship and creative activities in an academic environment. These titles are non-salaried, carry no university duties, imply no university support, and have no direct employment with UCSC.

Alejandro Acevedo Guitierrez, Research Associate/Professor in Biology and Science Education, Western Washington University: Understanding the role of marine mammals in their environment and their interactions with humans. The majority of this research has been conducted on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Salish Sea.

Ryan Anderson, Research Associate/Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology, Santa Clara University: His current research focuses on conservation, sustainability, and development along the California coast (in Mexico and the US). This includes research about coastal erosion and sea level rise adaptation in California, and ongoing work on conservation, development, and governance in Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. 

Erick Bjorkstedt, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Using empirical, theoretical, and statistical approaches to understand biological and physical processes that influence population structure, population dynamics, and recruitment success of marine fishes and invertebrates; the evolution of life histories in dynamic marine environments; and ecosystem dynamics of marine systems.

David Boughton, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Ecology and evolution of southern- and central-coast California steelhead; population and metapopulation dynamics; processes controlling habitat dynamics at intermediate and broad scales, especially in arid and montane systems; river restoration.

Dana Briscoe, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: 

Claudio Campagna, Research Associate/Adjunct Professor of EEB, Conservation Biologist Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): Scientific research and conservation work on elephant seals, sea lions and whales.

Francisco Chavez, Research Associate

Tommy Clay, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Guy Cochrane, Research Associate/Research Geophysicist with USGS PCMSC:

Peter Cook, Research Associate

E.J. Dick, Research Asscoiate/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Amy East, Research Associate/Research Geologist with USGS PCMSC: Applied sedimentology and geomorphology; sediment transport and stratigraphic evolution in modern and ancient systems. Use of the stratigraphic record in tectonic and climatic signal interpretation. Application of field studies to ecosystem restoration and management.

Heidi Fish, Research Fellow/Research Fishery Biologist, Fisheries Ecology Division, SWFSC, NOAA Fisheries: Salmon life history and stream survey methods.

Ann Gibbs, Research Associate/Geologist with USGS PCMSC: Coastal and nearshore mapping and change analysis utilizing a variety of data types including photography, videography, lidar, total station, and historical hydrographic and topographic data. Evaluating historical shoreline change and projected coastal change and hazards in northern Alaska.

Libby Gilbert-Horvath, Research Fellow/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Mike Goebel, Research Associate

Allison Gong, Research Associate/Adjunct Biology Instructor at Cabrillo College: Temperate marine invertebrates, especially life cycles and larval development.

Elliott Hazen, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Marine ecology, birds and mammals, conservation biology: focusing on predator-prey dynamics and their response to environmental variability and global change.

Nick Holmes, Research Associate

Mike Jacox, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program:

Rosemary Kosaka, Research Fellow/Economist Fisheries Collaborative Program

Janet Leonard, Research Associate: Identify mating behaviors of several local species of gastropods.

Steve Lonhart, Research Associate/SIMoN Senior Scientist: Kelp forest ecology, invasion biology, biogeography and marine invertebrates.

Aaron Mamula, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Human dimensions of natural resource management and policy. Fields of specialization include econometrics, water resource economics and the economics of fisheries, forestry and other renewable resource extraction problems.

Nathan Mantua, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Climate variability, change, and predictability, climate impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and the use of climate information in resource management.

Joseph Merz, Research Associate/Assistant Adjunct Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology: Relationships between aquatic species and their environments and the effects of anthropogenic influences on those relationships.

Barbara Muhling, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Climate change impacts on marine and coastal fishes; Multivariate statistics and predictive habitat modeling; Links between environment, climate, ecology and physiology across life stages in marine fishes;Sustainable fisheries management under climate variability and change.

Michael Murray, Research Associate/DVM Monterey Bay Aquarium

Michael O’Farrell, Research Associate/Research Fishery Biologist Fisheries Collaborative Program: The science of natural resource management.

Guy Oliver, Research Associate: Investigate the behavior, ecology and physiology of Northern elephant seals, California sea lions, Steller sea lions and harbor seals at Año Nuevo and throughout their ranges.

Joanne Reiter, Research Associate: Principal researcher with the UCSC northern elephant seal project.

Keith Sakuma, Research Associate/Member of the Groundfish Analysis Team with SWFSC, NOAA Fisheries: Annual pelagic juvenile rockfish and ecosystem assessment midwater trawl survey.

Will Satterthwaite, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Investigate the ecology and management of Pacific salmon; use of quantitative techniques to understand population dynamics and the impacts of human activities upon them.

Scott Shaffer, Research Associate/Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at SJSU: Physiological Ecology of vertebrate animals, especially birds and mammals

Brandon Southall, Research Associate: President and Chief Scientist for Southall Environmental Associates (SEA)

Curt Storlazzi, Research Associate/Research Geologist with USGS PCMSC: The influence of physical processes on coral and bedrock reef habitats and ecosystems.

Renee Takesue, Research Associate/Research Geologist with USGS PCMSC: Land-to-sea runoff of sediment and contaminants driven by both natural processes and human activities and their effects on coastal communities.

Julie Thayer, Research Associate/Marine Ecologist Farallon Institute: Conducting research on ecolog of predators and forage species in the California Current Ecosystem, including climate variability and resulting oceanographic effects and approaches to ecosystem-based management.

Nicole Thometz, Research Associate:

Jonathan Warrick, Research Associate, Research Geologist with USGS PCMSC: Rivers and physical changes that occcur to coastal systems. Investigates watersheds and their erosional and sediment transport processes and the geomorphic, oceanographic and ecological effects of reiver-based materials that are discharged to the sea. 

Thomas Williams, Research Fellow/Research Fishery Biologist Fisheries Collaborative Program: The ecology of Pacific salmon and trout and how populations track changes in the environment.

Malte Willmes, Research Associate/Fisheries Collaborative Program: Development and application of novel geochemical tracers and quantitative statistical methods to answer fundamental questions in fish ecology. Current focus is on reconstructing the life history of modern and historic Chinook Salmon populations in California and contrasting their responses to long-term climatic and landscape scale changes.

The institute employs individuals who administer academic programs that provide services directly related to the research mission of the ORU and the University. Academic Coordinators may obtain PI status upon approved ETP.

Zeka Glucs, Academic Coordinator: Conducts research and performs coordinator duties for the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Group. Duties include program planning and management, agency relations, and education and outreach.

The institute appoints individuals who come to the University for continued research experience after recently completing a doctoral degree. These individuals conduct research under the close supervision of an IMS faculty or researcher mentor. Postdocs may obtain Postdoc-specific PI status upon approved ETP.

Ryan Gasbarro, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Khandaker Islam, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Lucas Medeiros, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Cheyenne Payne, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Anna Poulton, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Travis Richards, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Bijeta Bijen Saha, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Adena Schonfeld, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Rachel Seary, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Abhinav Sharma, Postdoctoral Scholar/Fisheries Collaborative Program

Rae Taylor-Burns, Postdoctoral Scholar

Visiting Scholars are individuals on leave from an academic appointment or student enrollment at a home institution. They come to participate in a short-term educational, research, or other academic project under the supervision of an academic appointee. A Visitor is designated, as appropriate, as a Visiting Scholar, Visiting Graduate, or Visiting Undergraduate.