Bryndan Bedel Joins California Sea Grant Team as Digital Science Communications Specialist

California Sea Grant is excited to welcome Bryndan Bedel as the new Digital Science Communications Specialist. She will be using her experience in visual storytelling to promote the program’s research, outreach and education work. 

“In my professional and private life, two things carry the most importance for me – successful communication tactics and environmental conservation,” said Bryndan. “This is truly a dream job for me, and I am so grateful to help make a difference in caring for our oceans and environment while being creative.”

Over the past ten years, Bryndan has developed robust communication skills, working within the education, entertainment, and health industries. Most recently, she worked as the Corporate Communications Specialist for Hologic, creating digital content and managing various initiatives to promote women’s health around the world. She has also had the opportunity to work for UC San Diego’s Admissions and Alumni, Sony Online Entertainment, and Quest Diagnostics.

One of her proudest accomplishments was overseeing and working with her mentor, Dr. Jay Vavra, on a project called the African Bushmeat Expedition. Traveling to Tanzania, her group's goal was to teach game wardens how to extract DNA from bushmeat samples as evidence for poacher capture and prosecution. They worked closely with students at Mweka College and helped establish a lab to keep the conservation efforts moving forward.

Along with her experience in communications, Bryndan is an award-winning photographer. Her work has been published by the BBC, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and Gizmodo. She has had numerous photography exhibitions around San Diego, including one with the Balboa Park Japanese Friendship Garden. Most recently, Bryndan won the Photographer of the Year award from the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica. 

A San Diego native, Bryndan studied at UC San Diego and has a B.A. in International Relations and Environmental Studies. As a student, she worked with the Geological Collections and Whale Acoustics Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She was also a talented épéeist on the UC San Diego Fencing team. Now, she spends her free time doing wildlife and astrophotography, volunteering with wildlife rescue programs, and studying 19th-century saber and German longsword with her Historical European Martial Arts group, San Diego Swordfighters.