About me
Lillian McCormick is broadly interested in the impact of global change on the ecophysiology of marine organisms. She uses interdisciplinary approaches to determine how physiological effects of global change will modify animal behavior, distribution, and ecology. She aims to focus on applied science that can be translated to management, and to communicate science to broad audiences, especially those that utilize, are affected by, or benefit from marine ecosystem services. Lillian is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, working with California Sea Grant and the Delta Independent Science Board.
Lillian completed her B.S. in Marine Science, with minors in Chemistry and Spanish, from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. During her studies, she was awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and conducted a summer internship with the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and (then) Ph.D. candidate Andrew Nosal at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She completed a honors research thesis describing the pupil light reflex and spectral sensitivity of the Atlantic brief squid, Lolliguncula brevis. After graduation, Lillian began a position as a research technician at the University of Delaware, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment with Dr. Jonathan Cohen. There, she conducted research on the physiological effects of crude oil and dispersant on zooplankton in the Gulf of Mexico, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
After receiving an award from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Lillian moved to San Diego, California where she received a M.S. in marine biology and a Ph.D. in oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Her dissertation examined whether exposure to reduced oxygen in the marine environment affects the visual physiology, behavior, and ecology of marine invertebrate larvae. Through support from a National Science Foundation research grant, Lillian continued to study the effects of low oxygen on marine animals as a postdoctoral researcher, working with Dr. Lisa Levin (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and Dr. Nicholas Oesch (Department of Psychology). Lillian uses a variety of tools to conduct science, including laboratory work, marine fish and invertebrate larval collection and rearing, small boat and scientific (AAUS) diving, and conducting science on large oceanographic research vessels. She is very interested in communicating science to the public and incorporating science into policy, particularly about the importance of ocean deoxygenation.
Lillian R. McCormick, Ph.D. 