Jessica Whitney

University of Alaska Southeast
B.S. Marine Biology
2023

Jessica graduated with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a Certificate of Outdoor Skills & Leadership from the University of Alaska Southeast in 2023 and is a Research Professional with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Sea Grant, and the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Jessica grew up in Southern California and was often found investigating the tidepools of Santa Barbara. After sailing across the Western North Atlantic and performing oceanographic research, she fell in love with experiential learning and desired an education that went beyond four walls and a textbook. She found herself in Juneau in the fall of 2018. As an undergrad, she worked as a research technician on a large field ecology investigation of how the marine ecosystem is responding to reintroduction of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. It was here where she found an admiration for seaweeds and the important role they play in the nearshore. 

• Mariculture
• Nearshore Ecology
• Environmental DNA (eDNA)
• Scientific Illustration
• Digital Marketing & Social Media

• Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium (MarReCon)
• Examination of nearshore habitats and their associated fish communities through eDNA

• Alaska Sea Grant
• NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
• Alaska Mariculture Research & Training Center
• Marine Debris Foundation

• Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium (MarReCon)
• Alaska Mariculture Research & Training Center
• Marine Debris Foundation

• AAUS Scientific Diver
• Wilderness First Responder – DMM
• Certificate of Outdoor Skills & Leadership