Please click here for the most recent version of my CV.
A shorter resume is below and available for download here.
A shorter resume is below and available for download here.
BRIANNA ELLIOTT RESUME
EDUCATION
Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment Durham, North Carolina
PhD Candidate: Marine Science and Conservation
Certificate in College Teaching
PhD dissertation title: Untangling the Critical Conservation Threat of Cetacean Bycatch in the Indian Ocean
Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment Durham, North Carolina
Master of Environmental Management: Coastal Environmental Management, May 2017
Master's Project: A Petition to Designate Critical Habitat for Sperm Whales in the Gulf of Mexico under the Endangered Species Act
University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina
B.S. Environmental Science, Journalism minor, University/Departmental Honors, May 2012
UNCW Honors College student, August 2008 to May 2012
Honors Thesis: Assessing Impacts of Beach Nourishment on Loggerhead Turtle Hatching Success
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
January - June 2011 (study abroad: marine science focus)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Foreign Affairs Officer/NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, U.S. Department of State - Office of Marine Conservation, Washington, D.C.
March 2018-June 2019
Assisted with writing U.S. position papers, staffing leadership, and writing briefing materials for U.S. delegation to bilateral and multilateral fora on fisheries-focused issues. Lead staff member on MMPA Import Provisions Rule, U.S.-China fisheries portfolio, shark policy, and more.
Senior Analyst: Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries, Washington, D.C.
July 2017-March 2018
Made determinations under Section 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to take marine mammals in offshore anthropogenic activity, particularly seismic surveys.
Protected Species Conservation and Policy Intern, State of Hawaii, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawaii
May-August 2016
Drafted state-wide management plan for the green sea turtle; wrote internal report on incorporating social and cultural perspectives on Hawaiian monk seals into management; interviewed multiple stakeholders for reports;
Online Editor, Oceana, Washington, D.C.
April 2014- July 2015
Managed all editorial content across Oceana's online platforms, including website and blog content; led content strategy for Oceana's international website; project lead on redesign of Oceana Europe website; managed temporary employees; wrote editorial and blog posts on behalf of Oceana's CEO; promoted at nine-month mark and again at one-year mark; remained as contractor for Oceana for one year after leave date.
Reporter, Audubon, New York, New York
January-May and September-November 2013
Pitched, researched, and wrote weekly blogs, magazine clips, and website stories on environmental topics; tweeted; fact checked; directed photo caption contests;
SELECTION OF FUNDING AND AWARDS
Best PhD Student Manuscript, 2023: Awarded best manuscript in Duke's Marine Science and Conservation Division for first-author paper titled, "Cetacean Bycatch Governance in the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations: Current progress, management gaps, and looking ahead"
National Geographic Explorers Grant, 2022: Funding to research and address cetacean bycatch in Pakistani gillnet fisheries (15000 USD)
World Wildlife Fund, 2021: Funding to conduct satellite imagery analysis of tuna drift gillnet fisheries (25000 AUD)
Chateaubriand Fellowship, 2021: Funding to spend up to nine months working with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission on Réunion Island (1300 euro/month).
Duke University Bass Connections, 2020: Grant to develop a research and teaching project examining the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions Rule ($25392).
NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (selected 2017, 2018-2019 Fellowship): Selected as a Knauss Fellow for the 2018 cohort; placed at U.S. Department of State ($61000).
Duke Law Clinic's Environmental Advocacy Award, 2017: First-ever non-Duke Law student to receive an award from the Duke Law Clinics recognizing 400+ hours of pro-bono scientific and policy work for clients in the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic.
Forever Duke Award, 2017: One of 18 graduate students campus-wide awarded the Forever Duke Award, which recognizes graduating students who made significant contributions to their campuses and who embody the university’s guiding principle of “knowledge in the service of society.”
International Sea Turtle Society, Best Student Poster (Conservation), 2017: Received the Archie Carr Best Conservation Student Poster at the 37th annual International Sea Turtle Symposium. Poster summarized research on sea turtle bycatch trends in North Carolina’s southern flounder commercial gillnet fishery.
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
Society for Marine Mammalogy, 2017-present
PADI Open Water Diver Certification, 2016-present
International Sea Turtle Society, 2015-present
SKILLS
Languages: English (Native); French (intermediate); Indonesian (beginner);
Software: R; MatLab; Adobe Creative Suite; Microsoft Office; ArcGIS; Wordpress; Twitter and social media platforms;
Animals: Bird banding, rescuing and wrangling (from royal terns to common loons to brown pelicans); snake capturing; sea turtle flipper, PIT and satellite tagging;