Briefly describe your job and your area of expertise. I share responsibility of the temperate gallery, the amazon flooded forest tank, the shark and ray lagoon and the Swamp.  I also have a strong focus in animal training and enrichment.

What got you interested in becoming a biologist? I fell in love with marine life as a SCUBA diver, and love learning about and caring for our animals on a daily basis.   Being able to show the public something they’ve never seen before is very important to promoting conservation of the oceans.

What do you like most and least about your job? I love working with some of our larger animals (sharks, alligators, giant pacific octopus), and also find some of the animal health challenges fascinating.  I also loved collecting a lot of the specimens you see in the California Coast tank and gallery!  

What college did you go to and what degree did you receive? I graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Biology.

What influenced your job choice and when? I was lucky enough to be offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to build out the collection here, and help open our brand new building.  

Do you have pets at home? What and how many? I foster dogs that would otherwise be euthanized at the shelter until I can find them a permanent home.  

Advice for someone wanting to go into your field. Start volunteering at a zoo or aquarium to get to know the ins and outs of the job.  Also, get outdoors and start enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer!

More about Nancy