Lillian T. Raz, PhD

Dr. Tuttle Raz is currently the Assistant Unit Leader of the Hawai‘i Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. Prior to joining the Hawai‘i Unit, Dr. Tuttle Raz was an Essential Fish Habitat Biologist at NOAA Fisheries’ Pacific Islands Regional Office in Honolulu. She received her PhD from Oregon State University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Tuttle Raz’s research quantifies the effects of local stressors -- coastal pollution, invasive species, and overfishing -- on coral-reef ecosystems. This work crosses spatial and ecological scales to address different components of fish life history: from microscopic interactions between larval fish and their planktonic prey, to tracking fish population demographics on coral patch reefs, to regional and global thresholds for water quality that support fish habitat. She uses observational and manipulative experiments in the field and lab, combined with evidence synthesis (systematic review and meta-analysis), to investigate the behavioral and physiological mechanisms by which species interact with each other and their rapidly changing environments. She plans to develop graduate coursework in these areas of expertise as well as in biostatistics and marine resource management.