Lauren is the Research Director at the Sitka Sound Science Center. In this position, she oversees the research portfolio for the Sitka Sound Science Center, working with community partners to assess current research needs and building collaborative teams of experts to help answer these needs. Lauren grew up on Kachemak Bay in the northern Gulf of Alaska. She received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology at Stanford University, where she was introduced to the exceptional value of biological field stations during her time at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Laboratory. She returned to Alaska to pursue her master’s in marine biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and then moved to Sitka to join SSSC as a Research Biologist in 2014. After a few years of collaboration with visiting University of California Santa Cruz professor Dr. Kristy Kroeker, Lauren joined her lab as a PhD student to research the impacts of ocean acidification and warming in Southeast Alaska’s kelp forests. She conducted much of this research in Sitka using the Science Center’s wet lab and dive facilities, so never really “left” SSSC during her time as a graduate student. Over the last 10 years of conducting and coordinating research in coastal Alaska, Lauren has built deep partnerships with rural communities, state agencies, and tribal organizations. She specializes in community ecology, seaweed physiology, and climate change impacts within high latitude marine ecosystems, and she has extensive, year-round scientific diving experience in Alaskan waters. Lauren is passionate about science education and has received extensive training in equity-minded and anti-racist pedagogy practices as applied to science research and education. She loves hiking, harvesting, and exploring the natural world, especially alongside her husband, toddler, and loyal cattle dog.

Learn more about Lauren’s research accomplishments here.

Lauren was born and raised in Sitka, Alaska. She spent most of her childhood on the water and in the mountains, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and exploring the outdoors. She attended Sitka WhaleFest many times growing up in Sitka. After graduating from Sitka High School, she attended Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts, where she graduated with a B.A. in International and Global Studies, and a minor in Mathematics. During a study abroad semester in Madagascar, Lauren became interested in marine science and whale research, and began volunteering for Jan Straley, a professor of Biology and whale researcher at UAS Sitka Campus. In 2009 she returned to Southeast Alaska and was hired as a research technician on the Southeast Alaska Sperm Whale Avoidance Project (SEASWAP), a collaborative project among fishermen, scientists, and fisheries managers working to better understand sperm whale interactions with commercial longline fishing vessels. Throughout her tenure with SEASWAP, Lauren worked as an acoustic technician, managed research grants, and obtained a master’s degree in Marine Mammal Science at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland. She recently received her Ph.D. in Fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences, where her research focused on the diet and movement of depredating sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska. Lauren teaches biology and fisheries technology courses and has been involved with WhaleFest as a symposium speaker and scientist in various capacities. In her free time, Lauren can be found hiking, camping, fishing, or hunting with family, friends, and her dog.

John Moran is a research fisheries biologist at NOAA’s Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau, Alaska. He received a M.S. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in fisheries and completed his undergraduate studies in zoology and marine biology at the University of New Hampshire. John has worked across Alaska (Southeast, Kodiak, Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound, and the North Slope) studying fish, birds, and mammals. He is currently focusing his efforts on the impacts of recovering humpback whale populations on Pacific herring and the effects of whale watching on humpback whales.

Tiffany Pearson is a director and event planner with over a decade of experience running Sitka Weddings and Events. With a diverse background in education, event production and management, Tiffany has successfully orchestrated countless weddings, corporate events, and community gatherings. 

A dedicated community advocate, Tiffany has served on the board of the Sitka Music Festival and actively collaborates with local nonprofits and schools to foster community engagement and cultural enrichment.

With a deep appreciation for the diverse culture of Alaska, Tiffany enjoys traveling and learning about the unique value systems found in different communities. This is her 3rd year with WhaleFest and is very excited to help bring this incredible educational experience to Sitka! 

Lina grew up in Chicago and maintains that Lake Michigan looks just as big as the ocean. They have been working in museums since high school, including the Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Yale University Art Gallery. Lina earned a B.A. in Classics from Yale University in 2020, and since then they have worked as an AmeriCorps member in Baltimore, an Alaska Fellow at Mt. Edgecumbe High School here in Sitka, and a park ranger at Sitka National Historical Park. Lina loves big questions, unexpected answers, and exciting connections. Their hobbies include performing with Sitka Community Theater, cooking elaborate meals for their friends, and exploring the mountains with all the enthusiasm of a Midwesterner for whom topography is still a thrilling new concept.