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Sophia N. Wassermann, PhD

Marine ecologist interested in quantitative approaches to issues at the intersection of fisheries and climate change. Postdoc in the Punt Lab, School of Aquatic & Fisheries Science, University of Washington, in collaboration with the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center & Northwest Fisheries Science Center. PhD in Earth & Ocean Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

  1. ICES ASC 2019 Poster - Oh Behave! Building an individual-based model of shoaling behaviour to improve population estimates

    Hello! If I met you at ICES, it was so good to meet you. If you’re at my poster when I’m not there, sorry I missed you. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, this post contains videos to accompany my poster at the ICES Annual Science Conference 2019 in Gothenburg, Sweden. You can find a copy of my poster here. …

    • on conferences academics

  2. Packing list for the RV Celtic Explorer

    I’m preparing to go on another cruise on the RV Celtic Explorer with the Irish Marine Institute. I’ve been on two cruises with them previously, one on the Celtic Voyager, the smaller of the two vessels, and one on the Celtic Explorer. I’m always full of nerves and excitement before going on a cruise, but preparing always helps! …

    • on fieldwork personal

  3. Before you become a marine biologist, swim a mile in their fins: the day-to-day of science.

    When speaking to some first-year undergrads this week, my PhD sister, Morag, brought up a really good point about picking what research you want to do. Many of us in marine biology/science love sharks, whales, octopus, seabirds, etc., and they’re often what instigated our interest in the ocean. However, when picking a research topic or applying for a program it’s important to think about what you’ll do day-to-day. …

    • on PhDlife academics

  4. IEA 2019 Poster - It's wrong but is it useful? Validating theoretical models of fish collective behaviour

    I’m writing this post to accompany a poster presented at the Irish Ecological Association conference in Galway, January 2019. …

    • on conferences academics

  5. Research Cruisin': Free whale-watching trip in the Celtic Sea? Oh, and some fish science.

    5/5 would recommend …

    • on PhDlife fieldwork

  6. Iceland Recommendations

    If you’re a friend of mine, then welcome to my recommendations for Iceland! If you’re stumbling upon this blogpost from the wider web, also welcome! I used to live in Iceland and my partner (Jónsi) is Icelandic. Hence, we get a few requests to provide recommendations for travelling in Iceland. Most of these recommendations are for Reykjavík & the South Coast, as that’s what I’m most familiar with. …

    • on personal Iceland

  7. What I've been doing in my 'spare time': The 5th International Conservation Congress

    Ahh hello dear reader, summer greetings and warm salutations to you! It’s been almost a month since the culmination of ~ 1.5 years of working on the 5th International Marine Conservation Congress, held at the end of June in Kuching, Malaysia (on Borneo!). I was the Student Chair / Deputy Co-Chair of the conference as the lion’s shark’s share of my role as the Student Representative to the Board of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Marine Section. …

    • on academics conferences

  8. Research Cruisin': My First Trip with the Irish Marine Institute

    “Look at that sea, girls–all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds” …

    • on PhDlife fieldwork

  9. Sometimes Science is Boring.

    Starting a new year is always slow. For me, after the rush of the holidays, January feels particularly dull. The cold and the dark start to bother me in a way they didn’t before the new year. These days, my looming PhD clock also does nothing to mollify my existential wintertide dread. Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but, as I feel like I’ve been saying all year, it’s a tough time of year. …

    • on academics PhDlife

  10. Deck the Halls with Shoals of Mackerel: I Presented a Poster!

    To start my festive season, right around the start of Hanukkah in fact, I attended Ecology Across Borders 2017, hosted by the British Ecological Society (BES), with The Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ), Nederlands-Vlaamse vereniging voor ecologie (NecoV), and the European Ecological Federation (EEF) in snowy Ghent, Belgium. …

    • on conferences modelling PhDlife