Nadine Heck
Assistant Professor I am an Assistant Professor in Coastal Studies with a specialization in marine conservation and natural resource management. My work draws on theories and models in governance, ecology, decision-making, and social-ecological systems to study social-ecological dynamics in the context of marine protected areas and fisheries. I employ a mix a mix of geospatial and social science methods to explore marine management and governance issues at multiple spatial scales ranging from local to global. My work is highly collaborative and I work closely with local communities and government agencies to bring theoretical perspectives to existing management challenges. CV |
Graduate Students
Samantha Farquhar
Sam is a PhD student in ECU's Integrated Coastal Sciences doctoral program. For her PhD, Sam studies the impact of commercial fisheries' development on food security in indigenous Arctic communities, funded by the Fulbright Hays program and the SMART scholarship. Prior to joining ECU, Sam completed a Fulbright Award to Madagascar where she studied small-scale fisheries and protected areas. Sam earned her Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and she holds of B.S in Marine Biology and B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. |
Shalimar Moreno
Shalimar Moreno is a PhD student within the Integrated Coastal Sciences program. Her research interests are in understanding coastal ecosystem functions and threats to them as well as how management can be improved in Marine Protected Areas. She’s also using novel remote sensing techniques to improve mapping of shallow water bathymetry in seagrass and coral reef ecosystems. |
Mariela Garcia Vega
Mariela is a first year Integrated Coastal Sciences Ph.D. student. She has a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences with a double major in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. She is interested in ecosystem services, community-based management, and environmental policy. Mariela's Ph.D. focuses on the role of legal systems on mangrove adaptation in the context of the coastal squeeze effect in Puerto Rico. |
Postdocs
Alexander C. Smith, PhD
Alex completed a Ph.D. in Geography and Geospatial Science at Oregon State University, utilizing a mix of geospatial and qualitative methods to study long term forest change dynamics, community based natural resource management, land abandonment, and migration in Nepal. He received a MA in Forestry from the University of Montana on community forest management, climate change, and carbon payments in Nepal and a BA in Geography from the University of Washington-Seattle. At ECU, Alex continues to utilize qualitative and quantitative social science methods to study ecosystem based adaptation in complex social-ecological systems as part of a NSF funded project on Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Extreme Events in Mangrove-reef Social-ecological Systems in Fiji. |
Ron Vave, PhD
Ron is an indigenous Fijian, Postdoctoral Research Scholar in ECU's Department of Coastal Studies, and is working on the Belmont funded NO CRISES in Hawai'i. Ron completed an interdisciplinary PhD in Marine biology from the University of Hawai'i with components in cultural anthropology, economics, and ecology. He has a Masters in Marine Science on coral recruitment and settlement, and a Bachler of Science in Biology and Chemistry, both of which were undertaken at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. Ron's work to date focuses on community based conservation and how it influences social and ecological resilience. |
Research Assistants
Valeriia Vakhitova, Coastal Studies, ECU
Grant Tyler, Coastal Studies, ECU
Grant Tyler, Coastal Studies, ECU
Former Students
Kaylee Glenney, B.Sc. Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz
Samuel Pelham, B.Sc. Environmental Studies and Economics, UC Santa Cruz
Sarah Faraola, Undergraduate CC-RISE Fellow at UC Santa Cruz
Brolin Mirza, Undergraduate CC-RISE Fellow at UC Santa Cruz
Samuel Pelham, B.Sc. Environmental Studies and Economics, UC Santa Cruz
Sarah Faraola, Undergraduate CC-RISE Fellow at UC Santa Cruz
Brolin Mirza, Undergraduate CC-RISE Fellow at UC Santa Cruz
Key Collaborators
Siddharth Narayan, East Carolina University - Coastal adaptation, Coastal engineering
David Lagomasino, East Carolina University - Coastal ecology, Remote sensing
James Morley, East Carolina University - Fisheries ecology
Adina Paytan, University of California, Santa Cruz - Bio-geochemistry
Samiya Selim, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, SSC Fisheries
David Lagomasino, East Carolina University - Coastal ecology, Remote sensing
James Morley, East Carolina University - Fisheries ecology
Adina Paytan, University of California, Santa Cruz - Bio-geochemistry
Samiya Selim, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, SSC Fisheries