Victoria Hermanson | Ph.D. Student

Credentials

B.Sc. General Biology, UC Santa Cruz, 2010-2014

M.A.S. Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2018-2019

PhD Student, Ocean Sciences, UC Santa Cruz, 2023-Present

Research/Career Interests

I am joining the Friedlaender lab following my experience with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA), where I was a part of the Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division. During my time there, I embarked on annual field expeditions to Livingston Island, where my work revolved around the study of seabirds. Stateside, my research focused on using the animal-borne video logger imagery we collected to develop a method for estimating krill density from 2D images.

As a PhD student, I plan to build upon my previous work, delving deeper into the dynamics of predator-prey interactions within the Southern Ocean ecosystem, particularly in the context of a changing climate. My forthcoming research will utilize Palmer Station’s Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) data for a comprehensive, long-term analysis of Western Antarctic Peninsula seabird and whale populations. I aim to establish connections between reproductive success over the years, relative to prey availability, and the evolving oceanographic conditions that have influenced the trajectories of these populations.