Christopher Pickens

Background

About Christopher Pickens

I graduated from Oberlin College double majoring in Biology and Geology. After graduation, I served as a NOAA Corps Officer aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, supporting NOAA's mission of promoting resilient coastal communities. During this sea assignment I served as Junior Officer primarily responsible for the safe navigation of the ship and completion of scientific operations from the Caribbean to Long Island Sound. Following this employment, I pursued a masters degree in marine biology at the College of Charleston to better understand how to effectively steward of our nations marine resources, specifically through fisheries management. For my masters thesis I worked with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to evaluate the effectiveness of deep-water marine protected areas in protecting reef fish species. After graduate school I accepted the one year Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship to learn how science informs national policy decision and worked on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee to draft legislation related to science, ocean, and weather issues. I am now a Senior Associate at Pew Charitable Trusts working to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from the impacts of deep-seabed mining in international waters, advocating for sufficient understanding of environmental baseline and a robust regulatory framework.