Jennifer O'Leary (2006)

Fellowship Year: 2006
Academic Background: UC Santa Cruz - Ph.D. 2008- (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Current Position: Lead Scientist , OneReef and Research Associate at Univ. of California, Santa Cruz
Currently Working On: Marine conservation, marine protected area management, research on ecological structure and function of coral reefs, invasive species, resilience of corals facing climate change, teaching
Jennifer’s goal is to conserve marine ecosystems through scientifically informed fisheries management. Jennifer believes scientists should help foster interest in the natural world and provide knowledge of how it operates, while enhancing communication between resource users, conservationists, and managers. Jennifer conducted her Ph.D. research in coastal Kenya, where fishing is intense. Her research measured ecosystem-level effects of fishing on a corals and coralline algae (the structural elements of reef systems) under different management regimes in coastal Kenya. Jennifer developed her thesis ideas following 6 years of experience as a conservationist and natural resource manager for state and county agencies in California. Through a Switzer Leadership Award, Jennifer was a postdoc with the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History. She worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) incorporate science into the management process for Kenyan marine parks. The resulting Adaptive Management Program has revolutionized the way the KWS views and manages its marine resources. Jennifer then was a postdoctoral fellow with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). She worked with a team of top scientists to develop and test a suite of global indicators of ocean health across different ocean basins and spatial scales. The global index will provide a validated method that assesses progress towards conservation and management objectives for the world's oceans. Currently Jennifer is the lead scientist for a non-profit OneReef, helping communities develop locally managed marine protected areas in the tropical Pacific. She is also the co-director of the Adaptive Management Program for the Kenya Wildlife Service. As an Associate Researcher at the University of California, she am working on several publications related to coral resilience and which genera have survived over geological time and how trophic cascades in marine ecosystems affect ecosystem structure and function. This June, Jennifer will be leading a research trip to Kenya to assist the Kenya Wildlife Service in monitoring and research that will expand the Adaptive Management Program to a second marine park (Kisite Marine Park and Reserve). Please visit the following website if interested in participating in this conservation initiative: http://www.oceanicsociety.org/trip/research/Kisite
Expertise: Coastal & Marine Issues, Conservation Science & Biology, Int'l Conservation & Developmt