People

Kristy Kroeker, Ph.D.

I am an Associate Professor at UC Santa Cruz in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. My research is focused on identifying the emergent effects of global change on marine ecosystems, as well as studying the efficacy of strategies that can be employed at local scales to help buffer the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on coastal communities. I am actively engaged with policy makers and stakeholders, from running co-developed research projects with non-profits and industry professionals that will be affected by climate change to delivering international policy briefings. I teach a graduate course at UC Santa Cruz focused on science engagement, titled "Facilitating Change", which is focused on developing students' skills in science communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement. My inspiration for developing this course comes from this course I teach at UC Santa Cruz, my desire to improve the ongoing dialogue about climate change among different communities, and years of conversations with my family, who have different political ideologies from me, and who challenge me to be a better listener and communicator.