Amanda Chan

Class Year: 
2016
Current Position: 
RAY Fellow
Current Organization: 
NRDC
Location: 
New York City, NY

Amanda Chan is a San Francisco Bay Area native with a soft spot for marine invertebrates. She recently graduated from Swarthmore College ('16) with a major in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies. As a past Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellow, member of Sigma Xi, and a Leo M. Leva Memorial Prize awardee, Amanda is a biologist interested in the interactions between science, policy, and local communities. Coursework in ecology, anthropology, and environmental justice at Swarthmore College furthered her interest in ocean science and conservation. Amanda has researched the cellular mechanisms of coral bleaching, Crown-of-Thorns starfish predator-prey interactions, and sea anemone circadian rhythms at Swarthmore College, Lizard Island Research Station, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. While currently working with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Oceans Program, Amanda eventually plans on attending graduate school to continue examining the interdisciplinary nature of marine conservation. In her free time, Amanda enjoys learning the intricacies of cooking from her family and is an avid photographer of sea and land-bound creatures.