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Meet the team behind the Vantuna Research Group.

Assistant Director

Chelsea started working with the Vantuna Research Group in 2007 as an undergraduate research assistant and went on to graduate from Â鶹ƵµÀ with a B.A. in Biology with an emphasis in Marine Biology. She then worked as Research Associate and Grants Manager for the VRG from 2011 until 2021...

Associate Director

Jeremy earned his B.S. in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 2000. He later joined the VRG in 2009 as a post-doctoral researcher after earning his M.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Jeremy is currently Associate Director of the VRG and an Assistant Professor in the...

Research Scientist

Jonathan has been working for the VRG since 2006, originally as a Research Associate, and now as a Research Scientist. He got his B.S. from UNC Wilmington and M.S. from CSU Northdridge. He has served as a data manager, lab manager, and field research leader, in addition to authoring or co-authoring...

Postdoctoral Researcher

Zoë is a postdoctoral researcher with VRG working to better understand the impacts of artificial reef structures such as oil and gas platforms on biodiversity. After graduating from Yale College, she spent two years developing fisheries curriculum and scientific diving for the University of Alaska...

Research Associate

Julia earned her B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Maine, where she developed a keen interest in marine subtidal invertebrates. Her passion for subtidal kelps and marine ecology developed while studying the distribution of benthic flora and fauna in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, for her...

Research Associate

Jessica began working for the Vantuna Research Group in 2023 as a Seasonal Field Research Assistant and was subsequently hired as a full-time Research Assistant. In 2024, Jessica was promoted to Research Associate. She received a B.S. in Marine Biology from CSU Long Beach in 2018, and then a M.S. in...

Research Assistant

Chessie has a B.S. in Marine Biology from California State University, Long Beach and a M.S. in Biology from Georgia Southern University. During her undergraduate studies she participated in several research projects including two separate independent research projects on kelp bass (Paralabrax...

Field Research Assistant

Molly began working at the VRG as a seasonal field research assistant in July of 2023. She earned her M.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Arizona State University. Her master's research focused on the toxicity of anthropogenic chemicals...

Field Research Assistant

Brian began working for the VRG in 2021 as a Research Associate and was recently hired by the Orange County Sanitation Districts, and now works as a Field Research Assistant. He received his B.S. in Marine Biology from California State University, Long Beach in 2016 and his M.S. in Biology from...

Larval Fish Taxonomist

Gary Jordan has been associated with the Vantuna Research Group since April 1976.  In that year, Gary supervised the identification of larval fish collected from the various waterways of King Harbor Redondo Beach. In 1977, he became a part of the Taxonomic Quality Assurance Program (TQAP), a program...

Field Research Assistant

Katie has been volunteering with the VRG studying larval taxonomy since October of 2021 and joined the lab as a Field Research Assistant in August of 2024. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. After graduating, she worked as a wildlife camera...

Collections Manager, Marine Biodiversity Collection

Clay started working in the VRG in 2017 as an undergraduate research assistant. He graduated from Occidental in 2020 with a B.A. in Biology with an emphasis in Marine Biology and a minor in Spanish. Clay then worked as a Fisheries Observer off the coast of Oregon and Washington for a year and...

Field Research Assistant

Bill has been diving with the VRG since 2007 but only recently joined as a staff member in 2020. Bill graduated from UCLA in 1986 with a B.S. in Geology and a focus in Paleobiology. He then worked as Supervising Scientist and Dive Safety Officer for the  from 1989-2020...

Field Research Assistant

Mac began diving with the VRG as a Field Research Assistant in 2021 and joined as a full-time Research Assistant in 2022. He received a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 2019. Prior to working with the VRG, he worked with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game on salmon escapement...

Research Assistant & Larval Fish Taxonomist

Daniel started working as a research assistant focusing on larval fish taxonomy for the VRG in 2016. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S. in biology and emphasis in zoology in 2018. During his time at Cal Poly, he worked at the providing educational tours where he handled...

Field Research Assistant

Juliana started working at the VRG as a seasonal field research assistant in May of 2023. She received a B.S. in Environmental Science in 2018 from California Lutheran University where she studied succession of fouling communities and microplastic contamination in the Channel Island Harbor, Oxnard...

Field Research Assistant

Sigfrido began working at the VRG as a field research assistant in 2019. He earned his B.A. in Biology (2015) and his M.S. in Marine Biology (2020) from California State University, Northridge. Sigfrido is currently an adjunct instructor at Â鶹ƵµÀ, Glendale Community College, and...

Undergraduate Research Assistants - Summer 2024

Ozzy Madrid - Machine Learning and Image Recognition Using Ultralytics YOLOv8 and SAM for ROV Video at Artificial Reefs

Katie Placensia - Determining the Carbon Absorption Potential of Giant Kelp Forests on Artificial Reefs Off of the Palos Verdes Peninsula

Maggie Schaffzin - Turbid Tides and Coral Hideaways: Factors influencing gorgonian distribution and density at artificial and natural reef ecosystems

Erin Evans - Fishing for Answers: How Group Size Impacts Foraging Behaviors

Bob Shi

 

Volunteers

Matthew Kim (Cal Poly Pomona)

Brenda Calderon, M.S. (Cal Poly Pomona '23)

Maggie Dillon (Cal Poly Pomona)

Contact Vantuna Research Group
Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences

1600 Campus Road 
Los Angeles, CA 90041