California Sea Grant welcomes Lian Guo as the new Research Coordinator

California Sea Grant is pleased to welcome Lian Guo as a new Research Coordinator for the Science Integration Team. 

Before joining California Sea Grant, her research focused on aquatic ecophysiology and conservation. Guo has experience working in diverse fields, including fisheries, aquaculture, environmental toxicology, socio-ecological systems, and molecular biology. Her background lends itself to the multifaceted needs of the Science Integration Team. Guo will also draw on her experiences coordinating research and programming with academic, nonprofit, state, and federal partners to improve the resilience of coastal resources, and prioritize inclusivity of conservation science and management practices. 

“This opportunity to work for California Sea Grant is wonderful because I fully believe in Sea Grant’s mission to integrate research, extension, and outreach in the service of coastal communities on a daily basis,” said Guo. “Working in California, and more specifically on the cliffs of La Jolla where I first fell in love with marine ecosystems and research, makes this position even more special to me.”

Guo recently returned to California after completing her PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For her PhD, Guo measured the effects of temperature and other factors on juvenile anadromous river herring physiology using experiments and field surveys. She also built partnerships with collaborators from US Fish and Wildlife, US Geological Survey, state agencies, and academic institutions. 

During graduate school, Guo also completed a National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center funded project with an interdisciplinary team of graduate students. The project found that urban marine subsistence fishers can come from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, and that where people fish and what species they catch to consume are not well-represented in environmental and planning policies.

Science communication and outreach are also a priority for Guo. While completing her PhD, she  led a team of graduate students to create a new blog, That’s Life [Science], which shares a wide range of life science topics with the general public through short, free articles. She is currently training as a Climate Ambassador with the American Fisheries Society to learn and practice effective strategies to communicate climate change impacts on fisheries. 

Guo is heavily invested in DEIJA (diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility) efforts within the fisheries and marine science community, principally through her role as the President of the Equal Opportunities Section of the American Fisheries Society. She looks forward to being a member of the Sea Grant DEIJA Community of Practice and finding ways to leverage DEIJA efforts across California Sea Grant. 

“Lian has quickly become a valued member of our Science Integration Team,” said California Sea Grant Director Shauna Oh. “Her experience and passion for science, communication, diversity, equity, and justice are impressive and we are thrilled she has joined California Sea Grant.”