MEDS 2025
Pronouns: he/him
Bio
Ian Morris-Sibaja graduated with departmental honors from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022 with a degree in Biology and a specialization in computing. Born into a family of citrus farmers in the Santa Clara River Valley, he saw firsthand the fragile balance between land development and native ecosystems. This naturally led to developing a passion for ecology in his undergraduate years. As a research assistant, Ian led an observational analysis on California climate change and its influences on native plant phenology.
After graduating, he worked for the National Parks Service and California State Parks, collecting and visualizing data on native and invasive plant species throughout Southern California. In his most recent position as a biologist for a private consulting firm, he monitored special-status wildlife and vegetation during land development to ensure biological resources were protected under relevant laws and regulations.
Drawing on his research and fieldwork experiences, Ian is now pursuing a Master of Environmental Data Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Ian's ultimate goal is to utilize his analytical toolkit to develop data-driven solutions that measure and mediate human impacts on the natural environments of Southern California.