Faculty and Postdoctoral Researchers

Faculty and PostDoctoral researchers

Francis Chan
Assistant Professor, Senior Researcher
chanfr@science.oregonstate.edu (HE/HIS)

I am interested in the interaction between biogeochemistry and the structures and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. My research is directed at understanding the factors that regulate the cycling of nutrients and the growth of phytoplankton in the water columns of coastal marine environments. Using comparative approaches, my research also seeks to understand how the structures and dynamics of aquatic systems may vary or remain largely conserved across broad gradients in geographical or environmental settings.

Kirsten GroRud-Colvert
Assistant Professor, Senior Researcher
grorudck@science.oregonstate.edu (SHE/HERS)
Kirsten's website
Science of Marine Reserves Website

I am interested in the ecology of marine systems, the impact of humans on those systems, and how best to share that information with non-scientists.
My current research is driven by two central questions:
What happens when we protect an area of the ocean?
How do we use that information to design even better protection?
My goal is to help connect these answers with policy makers, managers, neighbors...anyone asking questions about the ocean.

Sarah Gravem
postdoctoral fellow
gravems@oregonstate.edu (SHE/HERS)
Sarah's Website
Sea Star Wasting Task Force Website

I am a marine ecologist that works at the intersection of community and behavioral ecology. I focus on rocky intertidal ecosystems and am interested in how species interactions and communities are affected by climate change, environmental variation, and marine diseases. I study how predators affect prey populations and prey behavior, and am particularly interested in the resulting consequences of these key interactions for the rest of the players in the ecosystem.

As a postdoctoral scholar in Bruce Menge and Jane Lubchenco's laboratory at Oregon State University, I am studying the ecological consequences of sea star wasting disease for intertidal communities from Oregon to Central California. The disease struck sea star populations from Mexico to Alaska, wiping out 60-90% of Pisaster ochraceus individuals in most populations. Because these sea stars are the apex predator, we have observed large increases in their mussel and barnacle prey. However, this has not happened in all places, so I am using this large-scale natural experiment to determine how and when predators shape communities. This work is especially important as predators are increasingly threatened by human activities in all ecosystems.

I am also the leader of the sea star wasting task force, which is a collaborative groups of scientists, agencies, conservationists and stakeholders working together to identify research and management priorities for the disease.

Jenna Sullivan-Stack
POSTDOCTORAL Scholar
JENNA.SULLIVAN@OREGONSTATE.EDU (SHE/HER)
JENNA'S WEBSITE

I work at the intersection of science and policy for marine protected areas. I am passionate about engaging diverse audiences in science, including through enhancing public engagement with sciences and through advancing the connection of actionable, use-inspired science with policymakers and managers.

I recently completed a PhD in marine community ecology with advisor Bruce Menge. I studied the processes by which individuals, populations and communities respond to change, focusing on (1) finding predictability in how climate change stressors, including ocean acidification and temperature change, will affect individuals, populations and species interactions; and (2) understanding the community effects of loss of a top predator - here, coast-wide decline of the keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus as a result of sea star wasting disease.

Kristen Milligan
PISCO program coordinator
Kristen.Milligan@oregonstate.edu (SHE/HERS)
PISCO website

The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) is an innovative program of large- scale and long-term interdisciplinary marine research focused on understanding the inner shelf of the California Current System. The four universities composing PISCO’s research consortium are: Oregon State University, the Universities of California at Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara, and Stanford University.

As Program Coordinator for PISCO, I work closely with PISCO Principal Investigators, researchers, and staff at the four universities to oversee operations of the PISCO program (such as meetings, grant reporting, Coastal Connections publication, etc.) and help fulfill PISCO's objectives of conducting interdisciplinary research, communicating scientific information to the public and policy makers, and training the next generation of marine scientists.

My Ph.D. is from the University of British Columbia, where I studied the population ecology and hydrodynamic performances of a kelp species in various wave regime environments. Other research experience includes terrestrial botany and phytoplankton algal bloom dynamics. I bring to PISCO a broad range of experiences for coordinating scientific activities, education, and communicating science. Prior to joining PISCO, I was the lead scientist for a large marine advocacy coalition, Clean Ocean Action, based in New Jersey. In this work, I collaborated with a network of scientists from academia to assess marine conservation issues and communicate the information to policy makers for science-based decisions. Through this work on the East Coast, I gained extensive experience in communicating science to the public and natural resource managers, policy makers, and legislators at all levels of government. I am also author and co-author on a number of articles and publications including How to Study Science, a workbook developed for non-science majors and published by McGraw-Hill.