Kathleen P. Cieri
Katie graduated from the University of Virginia in 2014 with a B.S. in Biology. After graduation, she cultivated her passion for citizen science and outreach at New Pond Farm Education Center, where she taught science and nature programs to school children.
Katie then completed a research apprenticeship in pelagic ecosystem function at Friday Harbor Laboratories. During her apprenticeship, she conducted an independent research project on the feeding ecology of Pacific sand lance which she presented at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in 2016. The unique life history of sand lance got her asking questions about the interplay of physiology, behavior, and life history in fishes and the implications these characters can have for management.
Katie later worked as research technician with Dr. CG Farmer at the University of Utah to determine the effects of exercise on air breathing in Indo-Pacific tarpon. While at the Farmer lab, she was also active in ScienceTouch, an outreach program that aims to help visually-impaired students understand science concepts.
Katie joined the Fisheries and Conservation lab in 2017 and began working for the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Project. She is also involved with the Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS) project. For her thesis project, she is using video cameras to survey the fishes and habitats of Cap de Creus Natural Park, Girona, Spain. When she isn't working with fish, she enjoys beer brewing, hiking, knitting, swimming, SCUBA, and traveling.
Katie successfully defended her thesis on April 19, 2023 and is currently working at the California Ocean Protection Council as a as a 2023 California Sea Grant State Fellow!
