Aquaculture Researcher

Social Sciences

  

Overview

Aquaculture researchers work to create new best practices for existing hatcheries, oyster farms, etc., by studying the biology, physiology, and ecology of aquaculture species. Aquaculture researchers may also study the social, environmental, economic, and policy aspects of aquaculture farms and workers. They often work closely with the seafood industry to create sustainable solutions.

Day-to-day work

More specifically, aquaculture researchers typically spend their day engaging in a blend of data analysis, monitoring and data collection, coupled with interviewing stakeholders and crafting scientific communication. Their work is dependent on the stage of the scientific process in which they are currently working. After analyzing the current practices of a facility or the current health of the organisms, a researcher develops their experiment. They then collect the necessary data to test their hypothesis through fieldwork, lab work, or another method of research. Next, they analyze their data, which could range from transcribing interviews conducted with farmers to plotting data on the number of new salmon hatchlings, etc. Based on the results of their analysis, they may need to rerun their experiment or apply the results in a variety of contexts. For example, they could be developing better practices for a hatchery farm, studying the result environmental pressures have on aquaculture farmer wellbeing, or writing a research presentation which they hope to present at a conference. 

The role of an aquaculture researcher goes far beyond collecting and analyzing data. They collaborate with peers and create scientific media that furthers our understanding of the natural world. 

Meet Lauren Rice

Faculty Research Assistant, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Lauren currently works as a Faculty Research Assistant with the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Her research focuses on social science and human dimensions. She graduated from OSU with a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Studies and a Master’s Degree in Marine Resource Management. Lauren gained experience in the field of aquaculture through her Master's project, where she analyzed interviews with aquaculture employees from the California, Oregon, and Washington Coasts to better understand the effect that environmental challenges have on aquaculture farmers. After graduation, she transferred her learned skills and currently analyzes interviews with ranchers to better understand the impact of wolf introduction in their area. Lauren’s biggest piece of advice is to complete internships, use them as a tool to gauge what environment you work best in, and try your hand at outreach to explain topics that people may not have been exposed to yet.

Read the full interview with Lauren!

Lauren Rice was a research assistant investigating the social and economic stressors within aquaculture. Her project involved analyzing interviews of shellfish farmers from 2 studies: a set of previously completed interviews from the California coast and part of the Oregon Coast, and a new set of interviews from Washington and Oregon. During an undergrad research experience, she had the opportunity to work with the first study mentioned and analyze those interviews. For her master's, she decided to combine that research with a study of Washington and Oregon farmers to look at the effect of various stressors on shellfish farmers. For example, what issues did shellfish farmers perceive as most pressing: ocean acidification, regulatory/ policy issues, etc.  

 

Currently, she works as a faculty research assistant for fisheries and wildlife conservation in the College of Agriculture. Her work now focuses on analyzing interviews with ranchers to study the impacts that food web changes have on agricultural workers. Both her current and past work aim to better understand what policy changes and regulations could be made to improve sustainability and the lives of the farmers. 

 

The scientific studies that Lauren mentioned in her interview are linked at the bottom

Lauren found that between the work she did as a master’s student and the work she does now, a lot of interview and interview analysis skills have transferred since both of the topics revolved around similar subjects. In addition, she emphasized that learning to work independently greatly improved her ability to complete tasks quickly, something her employers appreciated.

Four highly impactful experiences led Lauren to the position she has today. The first was her introduction to environmental sciences class during her first term in college as an environmental science major (although she later switched to Marine Studies once it became an option), where she first learned about ocean acidification. The next was further in her college career, when a college professor mentioned they were currently researching ocean acidification in shellfish. Lauren decided to ask the professor after class if there was any way for her to become involved in the lab, and was offered a volunteer undergraduate research position. Next, an undergraduate internship she did with Oregon Sea Grant after mentioning her interest in ocean acidification and social work. Lastly, when she attended a conference in Portland, she met Ana Spalding, a leader in oceanic social science research and a connection that led to her master's project. 

The one thing Lauren wished she had done more of to prepare for life after graduation was to use internships and other research experiences to narrow down what environment she works best. Throughout her undergrad and master's, she completed various paid and unpaid research activities and determined that she works best in a structured but independent environment. 

Her biggest challenge was the sheer amount of possible career paths within aquaculture, marine studies, and even master's programs. These programs have thousands of interdisciplinary opportunities and jobs, and she found that she could see herself working in many aspects of the field. What helped her narrow down what she wanted to do was the required concentration within the MAST major. Furthermore, she used the structure of her major and network of mentors to help narrow down her focus.

Lauren recommends that current students who want to become researchers use the internships and research opportunities (paid, hopefully, but unpaid will work too) they come across as a way to test out their hand at research and get their name out there. She also recommends any outreach activities to explain research or more general topics in science to people who may not work in the field. 

Her biggest piece of advice for undergraduate students is to put yourself out there and make use of all the resources OSU offers. She worked as a campus tour guide, which required her to learn about a lot of the opportunities and resources available to her as an undergraduate. In addition, she mentioned that MACO had a great influence on the jobs and points of connection between students and opportunities. The last opportunity she mentioned for people who want to become involved in aquaculture (or any marine field) is to research internship programs through Oregon Sea Grant, such as the Sea Grant Summer Scholar program she participated in.

Growing up, Lauren’s favorite sea creature was always the Harbor seal, but it transitioned to Nudibranchs during her undergrad. Now, after researching them for many years, her favorite ocean animal is the Olympia Oyster, Oregon's only native oyster.

"Being able to uncover extra details and layers of complexity is exactly why I love social science! It's important in the field of aquaculture research to have a foundation of social science data so that our results can be directly applicable and helpful."

- Lauren Rice

Overview of Aquaculture Careers
Aquaculture Oyster Farm Manager
Aquaculture Sustainability Specialist
Aquaculture Focused Student