Tammy Russell

she/her

PhD Candidate

Scripps Institution of
Oceanography

Discipline

Community Ecology, Conservation, Migration & Movement Ecology

Regional Focus

California Current Ecosystem, South Atlantic, and Antarctic Peninsula.

Years Active

6-10 years

Species Focus

Auks (Alcidae), Sea ducks and allies (Anatidae), Albatrosses (Diomedeidae), Frigatebirds (Fregatidae), Gulls and Terns (Laridae), Pelecans (Pelecanidae), Diving Petrels (Pelecanoididae), Tropicbirds (Phaethontidae), Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae), Penguins (Spheniscidae), Skuas and Jaegers (Stercorariidae), Gannets and Boobies (Sulidae), Storm-Petrels (Hydrobatidae & Oceanitidae)

Tell us about your work with seabirds.

I research the at-sea distribution of seabirds, specifically how seabirds use ocean habitats, including protected regions, and how their distribution, abundance, and communities are changing with climate change. I also run the Penguano Project, a collaborative program that investigates the ingestion and food web pathways of plastic pollution in Antarctic penguins.

What advice would you offer to individuals aspiring to pursue a career as seabird scientists?

Start early on building your community. Finding the right people and establishing those connections early can help you reach your goals; they can let you know about opportunities, give research advice, and more. I'd recommend reaching out to people doing work that is similar to what you want to do and ask to meet and then work on keeping those connections. Some of the people that I reached out to while I was in community college are still some of my most helpful mentors today.

Tammy Russell wearing a yellow beanie and black field clothes in front of a chinstrap penguin colony on King George Island, Antarctica.

Email:

tmrussel@ucsd.edu

Website:

Twitter:

@marinamorphosis

Instagram:

@marinamorphosis