Melissa M Foley, PhD

My research

I am an ecologist and study connectivity between habitats and between people and nature. My research has spanned many habitats, including temperature reefs, coral reefs, coastal oceans, estuaries, rivers, mangroves, and forests to understand how connections between habitats - mainly the movement of organisms, nutrients, and food - affect the structure and function of those habitats. I am also interested in understanding how natural and human stressors affect those connections, including wildfire, deforestation, dam removal, and climate change. 

 

I also work at the science-policy interface to help ensure the best available science is available to resource managers and policymakers, and to better understand how nature and people are connected. I have worked on issues such as marine spatial planning, ecological thresholds, and cumulative effects in the U.S. and abroad.