Thaïs is a Coastal Resilience Extension Specialist for Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) at the University of Rhode Island. Thaïs assists Rhode Island’s coastal communities in becoming more resilient to the effects of climate change through interdisciplinary research, technical assistance, outreach and education. Thaïs’ training as a coastal ecologist has taken her overseas from New Zealand to work on conservation of overharvested shellfish, to an archipelago in Mexico assessing the effects of climate and marine input on terrestrial communities. Thaïs also spent two years in Rwanda teaching biology with the U.S. Peace Corps
Thaïs gained a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Hampshire and was later awarded a M.S. in Marine Science from the University of San Diego, where she concentrated on habitat connectivity amongst coastal communities. Thaïs has also worked for several National Estuarine Research Reserves monitoring invasive species in coastal habitats and human induced effects related to climate change, while integrating outreach and education throughout her scientific career. Before joining CRC, Thaïs worked for the Town of Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department as their Water Resource Specialist, overseeing the Island’s estuarine monitoring and research program. Prior to her role on Nantucket, Thaïs worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to develop recommendations on policy and program issues to better characterize potential impacts of biosolids on water quality and human health.
