So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Edie Widder is a three time TED speaker and the first person to film the giant squid. During her career, she has logged over 400 deep sea submersible dives. Her work has been featured in BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel and National Geographic television productions. Join us as she unveils her journey to marine biology, how she filmed the giant squid, and her current vital research...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Cara Field is one of only 30 veterinarians in the United States with a specialty in aquatic marine medicine, and the Medical Director at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito California, the world’s largest marine mammal hospital and education center. Join us as she tells the tale of her career from her undergraduate work studying elephant seals to responding to the BP oil spi...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people talk about how dedicated they are to conservation work. Few people are so dedicated that they’d live in a tent, with no electricity or running water, in order to save wildlife. My guest today has. Melanie Croce is the current Executive Director of Seal Rescue Ireland. Join us as Melanie shares her circuitous path of field work including getting bombed by birds on a...

Send us Fan Mail Renowned Australian shark researcher, Dr. Andrew Chin, joins us on the show. From coral surveys and tagging hammerheads as part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Team to researching porcupine fish and working with indigenous people, Andrew’s curiosity and zest for marine science knowledge has kept his career varied and fascinating. Join us today as we discuss the mot...

Send us Fan Mail Jasmin Graham is a project coordinator with Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence (MarSci-LACE) at Mote Marine Laboratory working to create equality in the marine sciences, and researching the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish. Join us as we discuss Jasmin’s vital research, how a college research “speed dating” meetup charted the path for her career, and a...

Send us Fan Mail Jim Abernethy is an award-winning author, cinematographer, photographer, and conservationist. For decades, he’s lived aboard his boat, leading expeditions to engage with the world’s largest predatory sharks, cage-free. His work has been featured on Imax, National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel and more. In today’s episode, Jim shares how a dinosaur...

Send us Fan Mail When researching shark finning during her time at university in the UK, Francesca didn’t realize what an enormous impact it would have on her life. Join us today as we dive into what inspired Francesca to start a nonprofit in Mozambique and learn about her vital research studying humpback whales, manta rays, and whale sharks in the hopes of creating a Marine Protected Area. Suppor...

Send us Fan Mail Rachel Crane is a captain, dive instructor, expedition leader, and marine ecologist. Today, Rachel shares with us her dreams of being a vet in rural upstate New York morphed into becoming a boat captain in the Florida Keys for Coral Restoration Foundation. Along the way, Rachel had an incredible internship that included diving with Navy Seals in the longest pool in the world, swim...

Send us Fan Mail We’re doing something a little different for this episode. I’m joined by my friend and fellow marine biologist, Laurie Bachler, and, together, we take a deeper dive into the world of sea turtles. You’ll learn where sea turtles are found, the different types of sea turtles, and some facts that surprised even seasoned turtle biologists. You’ll even learn what species of sea turtle C...

Send us Fan Mail Author and marine scientist Juli Berwald joins us on the show today. Starting with an undergrad in mathematics, Juli’s career bloomed into a PhD in marine science before turning to science writing. Her work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, Oceanus, Redbook, Wired.com, and the New York Times. Her latest book, Spineless, dives deep into the world of jellyfish. Read...

Send us Fan Mail Rahul Mehrotra is a marine biologist originally from the UK and India, and who is currently based out of Thailand where he studies some of the most colorful and beautiful of all the sea creatures: sea slugs. Sea slugs are so captivating, in fact, that it was actually a photo of a type of sea slug, called a nudibranch, that catapulted Rahul’s interest from land animal conservation...

Send us Fan Mail Chief Scientist for Aquarius Reef base, movie consultant for Disney, author. Quite the resume isn’t it? That’s just the tip of the iceberg for today’s guest, Dr. Ellen Prager. Exploring the watery world, and sharing it with others, is another one of Dr. Prager’s superhero talents. Marine scientist, both non-fiction and fiction author, she currently working as a freelance writer, c...

Send us Fan Mail What do material engineering, autonomous ocean vehicles, ocean currents, and creative communication have in common? At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much. It’s amazing to see how different parts of your story weave together to make the fabric of your life that just makes total sense. And that’s the story of Patrick Rynne. From pursuing his undergrad in material engineering al...

Send us Fan Mail Bailey is from the American midwest and is studying marine biology in Queensland, Australia.  Join us as we dive into what it’s like to take a field course off the Great Barrier Reef. We also learn some surprising differences between Australian and American university coursework, and Bailey shares some insight into what it’s like to have an internship at an aquarium working with s...

Send us Fan Mail Samantha Craven currently manages the Reef World Foundation field office in the Philippines. The majority of her time is focused on working with our national partners on the implementation of the Green Fins initiative, a conservation focused diving effort, across SE Asia and the Pacific.   In this episode, we dive into pursuing a degree in marine biology in England, what it means...

Send us Fan Mail Maria Pinto is a marine biologist and science communicator. Founder of the popular “The Sea and Me with Maria” YouTube channel, Maria is also a PhD candidate studying plastics in the ocean. In today’s episode, we chat about how living on the coast and a certain TV show inspired Maria’s career path, how to find a work atmosphere that works for you, and about Maria’s research into t...

Send us Fan Mail World renowned author and ecologist,  Dr. Carl Safina joins us on the show today. His writing has won the MacArthur “genius” prize; Pew and Guggenheim Fellowships; book awards from Lannan, Orion, and the National Academies; and the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals. Safina hosted the 10-part PBS series, Saving the Ocean With Carl Safina. He holds the Endowed Chai...

Send us Fan Mail Deanna DeRosia is a marine biologist and artist. Deanna’s artwork has ranged from hallway sea life murals to painting fifty foot animals on skyscrapers in Silicon Valley. Though art always intrigued her, Deanna didn’t know that she wanted to be a marine biologist, or that it was even a career option until after she graduated university. She got her start working with seahorses, an...

Send us Fan Mail We’re shaking things up a bit today with an exercise designed with you in mind. In this episode, discover what a career in marine biology could look for you. Gain a clearer perspective on what exactly you’d like to do, and how to get there. All this and more in the 20th episode of the SYWTBAMB podcast! Support the show 🌊 Get the *FREE* guide: HOW TO BE A MARINE BIOLOGIST WITHOUT...

Send us Fan Mail Corals and Jellyfish and other Cnidarians, Oh My! Mariana is a coral biologist at the renowned Gates Lab in Hawai’i. She didn’t originally set out to study corals, however. Hailing from Brazil, Mariana grew up about an hour from the ocean, her interest in the natural world piqued by her biologist mother. After completing her undergrad in Brazil, Mariana moved to France to complete...

Send us Fan Mail Alexandria Ang is a student at Macalaster College. Though she is only in her sophomore year,  Alex has already gained invaluable experience through internships.  In this episode, Alex shares lessons learned for those who are interested in starting their career, whether it’s in marine biology or another field. Alex takes us behind in the scenes in zoos, where we meet her penguin fr...

Send us Fan Mail Be the Sealution. It’s more than a moniker- it’s a lifestyle. Today we’re chatting with Jessica Jean Moses and Justin Dalaba, founders of Be the Sealution. Growing up landlocked in upstate New York (Justin) and Chicago (Jessica), this charismatic couple experienced the wonders of the ocean at a young age. These experiences shaped the journey of their life. Today, Jessica and Justi...

Send us Fan Mail Learn from Andrew Lewin, a marine biologist, conservationist, and oceanpreneur. Andrew has founded the Speak Up for Blue Network and Communications, where he educates people on ocean careers, news, and how to live a more ocean friendly life. He also hosts the Speak Up for Blue and Marine Conservation Happy Hour podcasts, among others.  On this episode, we chat about Andrew’s caree...

Send us Fan Mail This episode weaves two seemingly disparate terms together under one giant umbrella: networking. Tune into learn more about the power of networks in your professional life, including strategies how to further your connections. Today’s episode also breaks down a different form of network: trophic cascades and food webs in the ocean. This short episode is packed full, so hold onto y...

Send us Fan Mail Want to know how to find your dream job? Today’s guest is Meteorologist Chelsea Carlson, and she’s here to teach you a thing or two about finding a job you love and our weather systems. From a young age, Chelsea knew that she wanted to study weather. Growing up sailing, weather was a constant variable, and one that ignited her curiosity. Tune into today’s episode to learn how this...