Taylor Azizeh

Taylor Azizeh

Ph.D. Fellow / Master’s Candidate (she/her/hers)

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Oregon State University

Biography

I am a Prestigious Diversity Ph.D. Fellow in the Ocean Ecology Lab at Oregon State University. My dissertation will focus on predator-prey dynamics in large whales. I am also an NSF GRFP Fellow and ARCS Scholar. Broadly, my research interests include wildlife ecology, bioenergetics, the effects of disturbance, habitat use, and more. I am concurrently finishing my master’s degree in the Vertebrate Ecology Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. My master’s thesis focuses on the foraging ecology of late chick-rearing emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) in the Ross Sea. Prior to this, I attended the University of Idaho (UI) where I double majored in Environmental Science and Wildlife Resources. At the UI, I founded the Idaho Chapter of the Women in Science Society, participated in the NSF IRES program, and worked as a Student Ambassador for the College of Natural Resources. Post-graduation, I spent a year in Denmark and Greenland as a Fulbright student, studying marine wildlife and polar ecosystems. I also spent time working with the British Antarctic Survey, LeopardSeals.org, and Oceanomare Delphis Onlus.

Interests
  • Behavioral ecology
  • Effects of disturbance
  • Community dyanamics
  • Wildlife photography
  • Outdoor recreation
  • Equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM
  • Queer representation in the sciences
Education
  • Ph.D. in Wildlife Science, beginning in September 2024

    Oregon State University

  • M.Sc. in Marine Science, expected December 2024

    Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

  • B.Sc. in Environmental Science, 2019

    University of Idaho

  • BSc in Wildlife Resources, 2019

    University of Idaho

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Ocean Ecology Lab - Oregon State University
PhD Fellow
September 2024 – Present Corvallis, Oregon
Incoming Prestigious Diversity PhD Fellow in the Ocean Ecology Lab at Oregon State University.
 
 
 
 
 
International Whaling Commision
Invited Workshop Participant
April 2024 – April 2024 Bled, Slovenia
Invited participant to a pre-meeting of the IWC SC69b Meeting to review global southern right whale catch series.
 
 
 
 
 
Upwell
Aerial Observer
May 2023 – Present Monterey, California
Assist with aerial-based marine mammal and turtle surveys off the US Pacific coast.
 
 
 
 
 
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research (ESNERR)
Protected Species Observer
May 2022 – Present Moss Landing, California
Help protect federally protected marine species through monitoring and mitigation.
 
 
 
 
 
Sea Goddess Whale Watching
Naturalist and Deckhand
March 2022 – Present Moss Landing, California
Assist with safe operation of vessel around marine mammals, conduct outreach with customers, and help identify species at distance.
 
 
 
 
 
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Master’s Student
August 2021 – Present Moss Landing, California
Currently a graduate student in the Vertebrate Ecology Lab, studying the foraging ecology of emperor penguins.
 
 
 
 
 
British Antarctic Survey
Research Intern
August 2020 – May 2021 Cambridge, United Kingdom
Worked on a project with Dr. Jennifer Jackson examining historical southern right whale catch data.
 
 
 
 
 
Oceanomare Delphis Onlus
Field Officer
June 2020 – September 2020 Ischia, Italy
Assist with acoustic and behavioral surveys of cetaceans (namely sperm whales) on the R.V. Jean Gab in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Fulbright Program
Open Study/Research Student
August 2019 – July 2020 Aarhus, Denmark | Nuuk, Greenland
 
 
 
 
 
National Science Foundation
International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Participant
January 2018 – December 2018 Loja, Ecuador
Participated in the IRES Program at the University of Idaho, investigating bat physiology in an urbanized landscape with Dr. Lisette Waits and Dr. Rodrigo Cisneros.

Projects

Foraging ecology of emperor penguins
Ongoing project using biologging to investigate the foraging ecology of late chick-rearing emperor penguins in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Effects of biological stressor on southern right whales
Our study, published in 2021, that examined the acute and chronic effects of kelp gull micropredation on southern right whales in Argentina, compared to undisturbed whales in Australia.
Synthesis of historical whaling catch records of southern right whales in the Indo-Pacific
Ongoing project attempting to synthesis historical whaling catch records to better understand the impact and scale of historical southern right whaling.
Synthesis of historical whaling catch records of southern right whales in the Indo-Pacific
Respiratory dynamics of right whales (Eubalaena spp.)
Ongoing project investigating the respiratory dynamics of NARW and SRW.
Respiratory dynamics of right whales (Eubalaena spp.)

Awards, Scholarships, & Grants

Prestigious Diversity Fellowship
Xiphias Martin Scholarship
John and Betty Davison Scholarship
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Scholarship
CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology Grant
Best Student Presentation Regional Award (South America)
Wave Scholarship
COAST Graduate Student Research Award Program
Viola Palmer Memorial Scholarship
Kirsten Scott Memorial Trust Research Grant
Alumni Excellence Award

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