Heal the Bay Science & Policy
Kerry J. Nickols
Director of Science & Policy
Kerry J. Nickols, Ph.D. is the Science and Policy Director at Heal the Bay. Kerry is an interdisciplinary ocean scientist with experience working at the intersection of science and policy in California and internationally. Prior to joining Heal the Bay, Kerry was the Program Director of the Marine Ecosystem Repair Program at Ocean Visions. Before deciding to leave academia to focus on work in climate solutions, Kerry was an Associate Professor at California State University, Northridge, where she studied coastal marine ecosystems and climate change, including the design and evaluation of Marine Protected Areas and the potential for macroalgae to mitigate ocean acidification and hypoxia. She has served on state, federal, and international committees providing scientific guidance on ocean conservation issues. Kerry holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science as well as Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Kerry is also a musician, dance music enthusiast, and a pug mom.