Rikki Bourg
San Diego,California
Summary
Marine biologist with M.S. from UC San Diego/SIO, studying impacts of infrastructure and habitat change on coastal economies. Expertise includes ecological-economic modeling, spatial analysis, and ecological statistics. Skilled in large dataset analysis using ArcGIS Pro, R, and Python. Seeking a role in coastal and marine conservation science, environmental consulting, resource-management, or marine policy.
Overview
1
1
Language
2
2
years of professional experience
Work History
Graduate Student Researcher
Scripps Institution Of Oceanography
La Jolla, California
03.2025 - Current
- Conducted graduate research and thesis on upstream watershed regulation impacts on mangrove habitat degradation and fragmentation in local fishing economies in northwestern Mexico, employing comparative analysis of estimated versus real-world valuation systems.
- Analyzed 39 years of mangrove habitat data and 20 years of government fisheries landing records across 10 fishing hubs, utilizing ArcGIS to classify watersheds by dam regulation intensity.
- Found that dam-regulated systems lost significantly more habitat, that the damage extended into adjacent downstream zones, and that fisheries revenue rose despite the loss, widening the gap between real and modeled revenue over time.
- Defended thesis before three-member faculty committee and mentored undergraduate on her senior research thesis while completing my own.
Education
Master of Science - Marine Biology
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA09-2026
Skills
- Marine ecology
- Data analysis
- GIS mapping
- Interdisciplinary research
- Scientific writing
- Project management
- Environmental communication
- Student mentoring
- Environmental economics
Affiliations
- A Way Home for Dogs Volunteer Events
Languages
French
Professional
Timeline
Graduate Student Researcher
Scripps Institution Of Oceanography
03.2025 - Current
Master of Science - Marine Biology
University of California, San Diego