Announcing the new Associate Director of Bodega Marine Laboratory

The Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kristin Aquilino as the new Associate Director of the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML).

Dr. Aquilino is a longtime member of the BML community, first arriving at the lab in 2005 for graduate school in UC Davis’s Population Biology Graduate Group. For several years, Dr. Aquilino has directed the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program for NOAA and worked as an Extension Specialist with California Sea Grant. Her passion for communicating about abalone and restoration aquaculture has led her to collaborate with partners and colleagues throughout California and beyond. She received a NOAA Species in the Spotlight Hero Award for her work, and it has been featured by dozens of media outlets -- most recently The New York Times and NPR Morning Edition. She brings to the Associate Director role a strong background in marine science and program management, as well as a deep commitment to the BML and Bodega Marine Reserve community.

As Associate Director, Dr. Aquilino will be responsible for providing administrative and operations leadership at Bodega Marine Laboratory. This includes updating BML’s business plan, directing and managing operations, implementing financial goals, and fostering a positive work environment for all levels of personnel, while showing leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at BML.

Dr. John Largier, Director of the Bodega Marine Laboratory commented, “Dr. Aquilino has a long history of building strong, cooperative relationships within the lab and with public and private agencies, partners, organizations, and donors. Her experience in managing successful long-term programs such as the White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, combined with her deep understanding of the special opportunities and challenges of a coastal field site, will help us develop and tell the unique story of Bodega Marine Laboratory in the years to come. We are all delighted to see Kristin take on this new role and look forward to working with her!”

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Aquilino on her appointment and welcoming her into her new role!