Brandon Hopper

I am an M.S. student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, co-advised by Dr. Nathan Spindel and Dr. Scott Hamilton. I earned my B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where I worked in kelp forest and coral reef laboratories through the UCSB Marine Science Institute and conducted offshore research with Sea Education Association in the central Pacific.

 

Since graduating, I have monitored kelp forest ecosystems at Channel Islands National Park, surveyed endangered fish species and prairie streams as a fisheries technician with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management, and supported aquatic species monitoring in the Santa Clara River watershed at United Water Conservation District. I also volunteer with Channel Islands Live, helping with underwater interpretive broadcasts that connect the public with kelp forest ecosystems. As a PADI/SSI Divemaster, I have guided and trained divers through dive operations in California and Colorado.

 

My research interests center on trophic cascades in kelp forest ecosystems, particularly the roles of urchin predators, urchin–kelp grazing dynamics, and the restoration of Pycnopodia helianthoides as a keystone predator to support kelp forest recovery and inform management along the U.S. West Coast.

 

Outside of research, I enjoy surfing, freediving, photography, filmmaking, hiking, and backpacking. In 2023, I completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.