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Sarah Traiger, Ph.D.

Sarah is a Biologist with the Alaska Science Center. Her work focuses on species interactions and environmental variables driving spatial and temporal variation in nearshore ecosystems. 

My projects focus on nearshore ecosystems, particularly on top-down and bottom up factors that drive species composition and variability. My current research uses data from the Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore component. Recent projects include examining the effects of the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting outbreak on abundance of mussels. Currently I am examining relationships between abundance of intertidal invertebrates and their larval counterparts in the plankton.

Professional Experience

  • 2020 – Present Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center

  • 2018 – 2020 Postdoctoral Researcher, California State University Northridge, Northridge, California

  • 2017 NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute Fellow, University of Auckland, Leigh Marine Research Laboratory, New Zealand

  • 2012 – 2017 Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • 2012 Aquatic Intern, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California

  • 2011 Student Conservation Association Intern, Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, California

  • 2010 – 2011 Waterfront Research Intern, School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, Turks and Caicos Islands

  • 2009 NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Intern, University of California Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega, California

  • 2008 Subtidal Intern, Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), Santa Cruz, California

  • 2007 Research Technician, Occidental College, Vantuna Research Group, Los Angeles, California

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D.   2017   University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • B.S.     2010   University of California, Santa Cruz

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Managing Editor

Honors and Awards

  • 2017 Alaska Marine Science Symposium Best PhD Student Oral Presentation

  • 2016 Alaska Marine Science Symposium Best PhD Student Poster Presentation

Science and Products

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government