Nicole Yen

Bio

Nicole Yen’s research focuses on using phylogenetic tools to investigate the evolution and biogeography of dorvilleid polychaetes found in Eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents, seeps, and whale-falls. Her broader research experience includes working with bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, chimpanzees, gorillas, giant pandas, and burrowing owls through institutions such as the San Diego Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 2021, Yen developed and designed the Research Scholars Marine Science (RSMS) program in partnership with the Octavio Aburto Lab and the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). She has since led the development of several additional programs, including Research Scholars, Hawai‘i in O‘ahu and the Conservation Leadership Program in San Diego, where she was responsible for program and curriculum development, grant writing, forming partnerships, and managing program operations. Yen leads and mentors student interns year-round, fostering hands-on research and professional development experiences. She also contributed as a curriculum writer for Science Bites, a new program that brings science education into the community through a partnership between Birch Aquarium and San Diego Unified School District. At UC San Diego, Yen has led discussion sections for the courses Urban Ecology, Environmental Issues, and Marine Invertebrates Lab, and served as a graduate student educator for the Birch Aquarium. She remains actively involved in STEAM outreach programs for K–12 students. Yen earned a Master of Science in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a focus in ecology, behavior, and evolution from UC San Diego. In 2019, she also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California.