MS Biology, UNC-CH 2023
Haley earned her BS in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA) and an MS in Biology from UNC-CH (2023, USA).
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Haley’s passion for environmental conservation began with trips to the Great Lakes through summer internship programs with institutions like the Shedd Aquarium and Nature’s Classroom. As an undergraduate at Illinois, she served as a field and lab technician in several laboratories, working on projects ranging from fish ecophysiology and energetics to invasive species management and community assemblage shifts. Haley also interned with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Hollings Scholar (2018), where she conducted research on the spatial distribution and abundance of oyster populations in Biscayne Bay, FL, further developing her interest in marine ecosystem management.
As a master’s student at UNC, Haley’s research focused on investigating the effects of nutrients on the thermal tolerance of Galapagos seaweeds. As such primary producers play a dominant role in the structure and function of this marine food web, understanding how populations may change overtime with ocean warming is critical for whole-ecosystem conservation.
Haley has published her work in peer-reviewed journals and presented at various conferences and symposia, including the World Summit on Island Sustainability (San Cristobal Island, 2022), the Benthic Ecology Meeting (FL, USA, 2023), and the 5th Galapagos Research and Conservation Symposium (San Cristobal Island, 2023). She received funding in part from the Institute for the Study of the Americas through the Pre-dissertation Summer Field Research Grant.