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Megan Feddern

Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Alaska

NMFS-Sea Grant Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellow

Megan is climate ecologist, data scientist, and graphic designer. Currently she is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Alaska in the Cunningham Lab working on climate drivers of Chinook salmon population dynamics in the Arctic/Yukon/Kuskokwim region. Previously, Megan was a Ph.D candidate in the Holtgrieve Ecosystem Ecology Lab where she earned her degree in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences with a certificate in Data Science through the UW eScience Institute. Her dissertation research used compound specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids to understand changes in primary productivity and foraging ecology of pinnipeds in the northeast Pacific using museum skull specimens. Her research interests include climate ecology, specifically, how species interactions are influenced by changes in the physical and biogeochemical environment. Megan also values applying data science techniques to ecology and has an expertise in time series analysis and Bayesian statistics.

Megan is originally from the White Mountains of NH and moved to Seattle for graduate school after spending a few field seasons moving around the country and abroad. Outside of research Megan enjoys anything outdoors, particularly new activities that get her outside of her comfort zone and require problem solving. Backpacking, snowboarding, and trail running is how she spends her time outside of the office.

Interested in a publication I have authored or co-authored?

Contact me below or on ResearchGate

Interests

  • Climate ecology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Quantitative methods
  • Escaping the city

Education

  • PhD in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, 2021

    University of Washington

  • BA in Biology, 2015

    Boston University

Recent Publications

Kings of the North Bridging Disciplines to Understand the Effects of Changing Climate on Chinook Salmon in the Arctic–Yukon–Kuskokwim Region

Understanding how species are responding to environmental change is a central challenge for stewards and managers of fish and wildlife …

Delayed trophic response of a marine predator to ocean condition and prey availability during the past century

Understanding the response of predators to ecological change at multiple temporal scales can elucidate critical predator–prey dynamics …

Recent divergent changes in Alaskan pinniped trophic position detected using compound-specific stable isotope analysis

We evaluated how trophic position of harbor seals and Steller sea lions has changed from the 1950s-2010s regional, decadal scales using …

Stable isotope signatures in historic harbor seal bone link food web‐assimilated carbon and nitrogen resources to a century of environmental change

We evaluated how ocean conditions influence the assimilation of nitrogen and carbon into coastal marine food webs y analyzing a century …

Riparian soil nitrogen cycling and isotopic enrichment in response to a long‐term salmon carcass manipulation experiment

We measured the contribution of Pacific salmon to nitrogen transformations and concentrations to riparian boreal soils.

Teaching Experience


University of Washington

Teaching Assistant, Autumn 2017
Conservation and Management of Aquatic Resources (FSH 323)


Boston University

Teaching Assistant, Spring 2016
Tropical Ecology Program

Tropical Montane Ecology (BI 438)
Tropical Coastal Ecology (BI 440)
Tropical Rainforest Ecology (BI 439)
Studies in Tropical Ecology (BI 441, Capstone Course)


Boston University

Tutor, 2013-2015
Educational Resource Center

Organic Chemistry (CH 203/204)
Statistics (MA 213)

SciCom

Science Communication


Puget Sound Institute

Student Writer
Creosote Treated Pilings


Cascadia Climate Action

Graduate Student Speaker
Climate Science on Tap


Washington Department of Commerce

White Paper Author

Community Solar Legislation Considerations


Ecodispatch

Podcast Guest


Puget Sound Partnership

Research Fact Sheet


Press Coverage

NOAA Fisheries Story Map

Long Live the Kings

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

University of Washington Research Spotlight


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