PhD students
Yutian Fang (she/her) is a Ph.D. student at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara. She is co-advised by Dr. Chris Free and Dr. Steve Gaines. Originally from China, she had completed her B.S. degree in Marine Biology from UC San Diego in 2019, and Master of Environmental Management degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University in 2021. Her research interest has largely focused on sustainable fishery management (especially with the reduction of fishery bycatch), marine spatial planning and marine conservation. Currently, her research topic involves comparing the potential of dynamic ocean management (DOM) to reduce bycatch with traditional bycatch reduction methods over different fishery cases globally. During her spare time, she enjoys watching TV shows, hanging out with her friends, and walking by the beach of Santa Barbara.
Kinsey Matthews (she/her) is a PhD student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. She is co-advised by Chris Free and Steve Gaines. Her research focuses on the relationships among marine species distributions, changing oceanographic conditions, and human uses of the ocean. She is especially interested in how adaptive and dynamic ocean management can be used to alleviate potential conflicts, such as those arising from fisheries bycatch or protected spaces. Prior to Bren, she obtained her master’s degree from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), where her research aimed to better understand the efficacy of small-scale species distribution models of continental shelf fishes off California. After MLML, she was a California Sea Grant State Fellow with the California Fish and Game Commission, where she gained a deeper understanding of the science-policy interface and the regulatory process. During her free time, Kinsey can be found backpacking in the Ventana Wilderness, freediving in the kelp forests, and reading fantasy books.
Lesley Figueroa’s research interests revolve around marine ecology, conservation, and resilience. Particularly, her research focuses on expanding and improving marine protected areas to promote biodiversity and resilience against anthropogenic changes with an emphasis on endangered species. In addition to her research, Lesley is deeply committed to promoting inclusivity within the marine science field and hopes to motivate underrepresented students to embark on their scientific path. During her free time, she is found baking desserts, crocheting projects, or walking by the beach.
Alumni
Undergraduate researchers
- Reilly Uiterwyk, Tufts University
- Isabella Puchkova, UC Santa Barbara
- Cristian Swift, University of Washington
- Sophie Morgan, Cornell University
- Mihir Takalkar, Taft High School