Current Lab Members

Featured

Kristy Kroeker, Ph.D.

Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Packard Fellow in Science and Engineering

Sloan Fellow in Ocean Sciences

UC Climate Action Champion

Umi Hoshijima, PH.D.

Postdoctoral Scholar

As an ecophysiologist, I am interested in how coastal ocean variability and global climate change influence the metabolism, growth, and overall performance of kelp forest invertebrates. I am specifically working on an NSF-funded project based out of Sitka, AK, where I am investigating changes in the metabolic rate of kelp grazers to a suite of pH ad temperature multi-stressors.

Umi’s website

Emily Donham

PhD student

I am a fourth year Ph.D student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. My research interests are largely motivated by a desire to better understand how anthropogenic activities are altering marine ecosystems. My dissertation work at UCSC will assess resistance and recovery mechanisms in kelp forest ecosystems with the aim of furthering understanding of reef resilience in the face of climate change.

Emily’s website

Sarah Lummis

PhD student

I'm a third year graduate student focused on community ecology and coastal sustainability questions. I study seagrass ecosystems, and how the function and services of these ecosystems will be impacted by climate change and anthropogenic impacts to the coast. I am committed to sharing my results with resource managers, and with local schools and communities.

Jason Toy

PhD student

A third year PhD student, I am broadly interested in the response of marine systems to “novel” conditions, which can range from changes in temperature and carbonate chemistry to range expansions and species invasions. In my dissertation research, I am investigating how changing environmental factors are affecting kelp forest ecosystems from both the ecological and evolutionary perspectives.

Jason's Website

Lauren Bell

PhD student

I'm a second year PhD student with a broad interest in how global change will impact high-latitude kelp forests and the greater ecosystems they support. My dissertation research will focus on the seasonal drivers and variation in macroalgal communities, projected responses of macroalgal physiology to future multiple-stressor scenarios, and how these changes may propagate up through the food web. My goal is that my research will be useful in informing public understanding and policy decisions in the highly productive and heavily utilized marine ecosystems of the North Pacific.

Evan O'Brien

Specialist - Technician

I joined the Kroeker lab in May of 2017 and have since split my time between Santa Cruz and Sitka, AK. As the lab technician, I get to focus on the practical aspects of a wide range of projects. My personal research interests going forward are still a work in progress, so I love having the opportunity to conduct fieldwork and construct experimental systems, all while gaining exposure to the exciting work of my colleagues.

Cassie Powell

Undergraduate researcher

I am a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Studies and Biology that has been working in the Kroeker Lab since 2016. I believe in an interdisciplinary approach to science, with a focus on integrating community members, policy makers, and other academic disciplines in order to identify and combat the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems. My current project is based in Sitka, Alaska studying the resilience of abalone in the face of ocean acidification at the northern edge of their range.

Kelly Goedde-Matthews

Undergraduate Researcher

I am a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Ecology and Evolution. I have been working in the Kroeker Lab since 2017. I am interested in marine communities, and how they respond to management decisions, climate change, and other stressors. I have a deep appreciation for natural history, and currently lead Natural History Club on campus. I will be a certified scientific scuba diver in August 2018.

Julieta Gomez

Undergraduate researcher

I am a fourth year undergraduate Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) fellow majoring in Marine Biology. I have been working in the Kroeker Lab since 2017. I am interested in marine ecology and ocean acidification, specifically the effects climate change will have on intertidal community. I had the opportunity to work with PISCO to conduct intertidal experiments on the effects of sea star wasting in the summer of 2018.

Julieta’s bio on the STEM Diversity website