RAQUEL GILLILAND
Raquel Gilliland majored in aquatic and marine biology, and minored in environmental studies and geography, earning a B.S. from Stetson University in Florida. She started her marine career in coral reef restoration and conservation working in the Florida Keys and then Oahu, Hawaii. Looking to extend her career in resource management, she joined the Marine Resource Management program at OSU, where her thesis work looked at the formation of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) off the Oregon coast and how they affect state fisheries. Knowledge gained from these observations will help the Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (MBON) program to better understand plankton distributions and their interactions with some of Oregon’s most important fisheries. After graduation she became a Knauss Fellow with NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Office in DC. She now works in Washington State with the Puget Sound Partnership as their Monitoring Program Effectiveness Analyst.
BECKY SMOAK
Becky Smoak earned her Master’s degree in the Marine Resource Management program at OSU in March 2023. Before entering the Master’s program, she graduated in May of 2020 from Washington State University with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science, and minors in Biology and Forestry. She was a 2019 REU Intern in CEOAS working under Dr. Maria Kavanaugh where she conducted field-based research in plankton ecology. She was awarded the 2020-21 Cooperative Institute for Marine Resource Management Resource Studies Graduate Fellowship. Her graduate studies focused on developing phytoplankton-based indicators of food quality which will benefit state agencies, NOAA fisheries management, and the fishing industry. During her time with the Kavanaugh Lab, she worked in collaboration between scientists at Oregon State University and NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC). Besides her love of ecology, Becky loves showing dressage with her horse and competed on the WSU Equestrian team while pursuing her undergraduate degree at WSU. She loves spending time with animals of all shapes and sizes and exploring the beauty of the West Coast.
WILLEM KLAJBOR
Willem Klajbor completed his Master’s Degree in Marine Resource Management from OSU in October 2020. Will is originally from Rochester, NY and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018 with degrees in Environmental Science & Policy and Economics and a minor in GIS. His thesis research examined the relationships between dynamic, satellite-based seascapes and forage fish assemblages in the California Current. Additionally, as part of the NSF National Research Traineeship Program at OSU, Will worked in a transdisciplinary team of graduate students that sought to classify distinct regions of environmental stress for living marine resources in the Gulf of Alaska through space and time. Will now lives in Washington, DC and works as a NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow. When he’s not working, Will can be found on a nearby trail or reading in his hammock! Will can be contacted by sending an email to klajborw@oregonstate.edu.
OLIVIA ARVAS
Olivia Arvas earned her B.S. in Environmental Science, specializing in conservation, resource management, and sustainability at Oregon State University. In the Seascape Ecology Lab, Olivia assisted with analyzing phytoplankton biodiversity using the lab’s Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCb) and manually annotated images of preserved phytoplankton samples to aid in tuning an automated plankton classifier. With her degree, she is pursuing a career in marine habitat restoration and coral reef conservation. In her spare time, Olivia likes to cook, journal, take care of her house plants, read, and spend copious amounts of time on the coast.
NICHOLA GREGORY
Nichola Gregory earned her B.S in Ocean Science and minor in Marine Biology at Oregon State University. In the Seascape Ecology Lab, Nichola worked as an undergraduate intern who helped in the analysis of samples using an Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCb). After graduating, her goal is to continue working within marine sciences, with a special interest in coastal oceanography research and management. Nichola enjoys cooking, trying new crafts, and visiting the Oregon coast & tidepooling.
JESSICA CEDERGREEN
Jessica Cedergreen earned her B.S. in Oceanography at Oregon State University in 2025. In the Seascape Ecology Lab, she analyzed phytoplankton composition in the water column using an Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB). Post graduation, her goal is to continue in oceanography, doing field research into the deep ocean. Jessica enjoys reading, drawing, hiking, and photography on the Washington and Oregon Coasts. (The dog is named Rosie)
KENDRA HERWECK – Former graduate researcher
KATHRYN LUNSFORD – Former undergraduate research intern
RYAN MOON – Former student research assistant
SAMANTHA DE VORE – Former student research assistant
