Our Team
Lauren Alvaro
BIL/IRA Engagement Specialist & Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
Lauren Alvaro is the IRA/BIL Engagement Specialist for the National Sea Grant Office and a 2024 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow.
Lauren is a marine ecologist interested in finding solutions to protect vulnerable coastal ecosystems and is passionate about making science more accessible and inclusive. She holds a Master’s degree in Marine Science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at William and Mary and a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science with a minors in Biology and Climate Change from Florida Gulf Coast University. Before becoming a Knauss Fellow, her research focused on seagrass ecosystems. Her Master’s thesis investigated how shifts in dominant seagrass species affect faunal communities in the Chesapeake Bay.
While at VIMS, Lauren was also involved with the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Workgroup, which interacts with researchers and managers to apply research findings to the protection and restoration of SAV. In her free time, you can find her practicing her photography skills or checking out too many books from the library.
Email: lauren.alvaro@noaa.gov
Learn More About Our Work
Coastal Resilience Liaison
Dr. Michelle Covi encourages collaborative coastal resilience efforts between military installations and coastal communities. She brings expertise to compatible land use planning, conservation, and other coastal resilience efforts and facilitates
Harmful Algal Bloom Liaison
Betty Staugler is working to mitigate harmful algal blooms nationwide by helping to expand and improve forecasting tools. As the Harmful Algal Bloom Liaison, she coordinates harmful algal bloom communications
Participatory Science Liaison
Liz McQuain recommends practices and develops trainings that will increase the diversity of participants to better represent communities in participatory science efforts, as well as increase uniform platforms for sharing