I’m Jaden Orli, a marine ecologist from UCSB’s College of Creative Studies (Biology). I work at the seam of field programs, population models, and public-facing communication so decisions land with both policymakers and communities.
Professional
Fieldwork
~350 dives ≥75 scientific AAUS 60 ft Seine surveys Small-boat ops
AAUS scientific diver in kelp forests; in salt marsh I lead/assist seining and trap-based surveys. Comfortable with tide windows, low-viz, and team logistics.
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Current Program
SONGS Mitigation Monitoring Program (Lab Technician, 2025 – present)
Intensive salt-marsh surveys for fish and invertebrates using seines/traps; careful QA/QC in the lab; gear maintenance and field safety; coordination with project scientists on long-term restoration monitoring.
Rocky Intertidal
Kuris Lab and National Park Service (NPS): transect surveys; species ID; tide-window planning; data entry and QA.
Kelp and Coastal Programs
- PISCO / Caselle Lab: underwater benthic and fish surveys (Northern Channel Islands)
- CCFRP: hook-and-line surveys with volunteer anglers
- SB Coastal LTER: kelp deployments/retrievals and site monitoring
Diving and Safety
Rescue, Nitrox, AAUS (60 ft), Reef Check certification; night/low-viz/strong-current experience; task-loaded work (slates, cameras, etc).
Modeling and Code
Stage-structured Slot limits × MPAs Sobol + GLUE R + Quarto GIS / leaflet
Two-sex, stage-structured lobster model; VBGF growth; size–fecundity; fishing applied after projection and only outside MPAs; scenario sweeps over slot width × MPA coverage.
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Framework
Female-first stage matrix; optional male coupling; exponential natural mortality; quarterly dt = 0.25. Clean harvest accounting via post-projection survival in non-MPA cells → harvest = raw − fished trajectories.
Uncertainty and Robustness
- Sobol (Salt) global sensitivity to rank leverage parameters
- GLUE ensembles to show plausible ranges, not just single fits
- Reproducible Quarto reports; tidy pipelines; consistent figure styling
Geospatial and Other Projects
- ArcGIS Pro / sf / terra / leaflet/tmap for decision-ready maps
- Spatial analyses: IMTA aquaculture suitability (U.S. West Coast EEZ); Houston blackout recovery patterns (equity lens)
- Prior research: Valentine Lab (microbial hydrocarbon cycling; Bash + Bridges-2 PSC); Novex Innovations (sterile cell culture, SOP training)
Policy and Community Engagement
Science Communication Interactive Maps Citizen Science
Outputs for agencies, fishers, educators, and the public — short explainers, interactive layers, and figures that surface uncertainty honestly.
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Policy-Ready Outputs
Metrics aligned with decisions: biomass, spawning output, size structure, yield, stability; transparent assumptions. Plain-language scenarios—what changing slot width or MPA coverage means for effort and outcome.
Community-Facing Communication
- Science videography (60–120s): method explainers, field segments, and transparent communication with the public
- Pacific Manta Research Group: citizen-science photo-ID submission site and diver education materials
Leadership and Media
- Kuris Lab project lead: fieldwork, student mentorship, conference talks (ESA, EEMB URS), first-author manuscript in review
- Environmental Media Production (Assoc. Producer): filmed/edited a nonprofit climate program promo; on-location directing with a Canon EOS C70
- Aquarium Docent experience translating conservation for the public
Personal
Photography
Texture and Pattern Motion and Mood Wildlife and Coastlines
My photography lingers on details most people walk past — a kelp frond twisting in surge, coral polyps half-open, an alley washed in morning light. I look for textures, moods, and small dramas rather than single “perfect” shots. Marine photography becomes an exercise in noticing: subtle gradients in light, shadow, and texture that later make their way into my figures and color palettes.
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Themes — kelp forest canopies, coral lattices, sand ripples, tidepool reflections, wreckage, and the geometry of fish schools.
Style — high-contrast natural light, low-viz dives, and compositions that suggest movement or story — a shark’s turn, a crab emerging, a harbor just after rain.
Painting
Wildlife Portraits Coastal Landscapes Mixed Media
I paint to capture place, memory, and personality — a bay I swam in, a dog who wouldn’t sit still, a fish frozen mid-leap. Some works are observational; others are imagined worlds built from layers of field impressions.
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Mediums — oil paint and mixed media
Subjects — coastal bays, trout streams, personal places, and animals with a story to tell — sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical.
Why it matters — painting slows me down and lets me notice how light, pattern, and atmosphere really work. Those habits feed directly back into my figure design and scientific visualization.
Trails, Diving, and Travel
Coastal Hikes Night / Low-viz Working Harbors
Most weekends I’m on a coastal trail or underwater; travel tends to follow coastlines and working harbors.
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Hiking — coastal bluffs, estuary loops, and any trail that ends at a tidepool (with a pocket notebook for quick sketches).
Diving — kelp holdfasts, night dives, and low-viz marsh entries teach repeatable habits — useful in both field and code.
Travel — I gravitate to places where ecology, fisheries, and community sit close together — great training for policy conversations later.
What I Value
Clarity Reproducibility Field Reality
Clarity over cleverness; field reality over assumptions; teams that surface uncertainty rather than hide it.
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- Make it legible: for managers, fishers, and the public
- Respect the process: document assumptions, keep pipelines reproducible
- Stay curious: bring field notes, photos, and sketches back into the model