PhD Student
Pronouns: she/her
Education
BS, Aquatic Biology and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Bio
Lesley established her love for the ocean as she grew up, spending her days watching the Channel Islands from the shores of Port Hueneme, CA. She attended UC Santa Barbara as a Promise Scholar with a full-ride scholarship, receiving her B.S. in Aquatic Biology and Environmental Studies. She obtained several internship opportunities as a research assistant at the Environmental Markets Lab (emLab), Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and UCSB’s Caselle Lab. Lesley was able to expand her knowledge and appreciation of the ocean by learning marine conservation skills, biosecurity protocols, and effectively conducting community outreach. Lesley is now a PhD student at the Bren School and currently under the Bren Fellowship and Promise Graduate Fellowship. Her research interests revolve around marine ecology, conservation, and resilience. Particularly, her research focuses on expanding and improving marine protected areas to promote biodiversity and resilience against anthropogenic changes. In addition to her research, Lesley is deeply committed to promoting inclusivity within the marine science field and hopes to motivate underrepresented students to embark on their scientific path.
Year Admitted
2023
Faculty Advisor
Steve Gaines