Veronika A. Kocen

Veronika began her federal service through an AmeriCorps internship with the Bureau of Land Management at the Piedras Blancas Light Station in San Simeon, California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued to live and work onsite at the historic light station before joining the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a biologist in 2020.

As a term employee, Veronika successfully guided the USGS Selenium Research Laboratory through multiple personnel changes and laboratory relocations while consistently upholding the high standards of quality assurance and data integrity for which the USGS is recognized. In 2024, she became a permanent employee and has since expanded the Laboratory’s capabilities at its new location at Moffett Field, overseeing the integration of new instrumentation and mentoring student contractors from local universities.

Her research focuses on the movement of selenium and other trace metals, including mercury, through complex food webs, the interactions between selenium and mercury, and the development of analytical methods involving laser ablation ICP-MS.