Our Core Team
Meet the dedicated team behind N-PAcT, working to support acoustic telemetry data sharing and collaboration throughout the Northeast Pacific.
Ryan Logan
Dr. Ryan Logan joined the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary’s research team as the Node Manager for N-PAcT in October of 2024, overseeing data sharing and collaboration among west coast animal tracking researchers. Ryan earned his undergraduate degree in marine biology from the University of Hawaii Manoa in 2013, conducting research on juvenile scalloped hammerhead shark feeding behavior. Ryan completed a Master’s degree in 2017 at California State University Long Beach, where he used acoustic tracking to study gamefish movements on an artificial reef. For his PhD at Nova Southeastern University, Ryan researched the migration patterns of blue marlin, black marlin, and sailfish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Ryan Freedman
Megan McKinzie
Dr. Megan McKinzie is CeNCOOS’s Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) coordinator for the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. Megan interfaces with the U.S. marine animal telemetry community, and communicates with scientists on data policies and data management best practices for telemetry management systems. Megan earned a PhD in fisheries and allied aquacultures from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Her dissertation was “Horizontal and vertical movement patterns, residency and mortality of gray triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, on artificial reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico.” Before coming to MBARI, Megan worked as a research assistant at the Auburn University Gulf Coast Research and Extension Station in Fairhope, Alabama.
Thomas Farrugia
Dr. Thomas Farrugia joined the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) in 2020 and will be bringing together Alaska and the northern Pacific’s telemetry work for N-PAcT. After a B.S. in Biology at McGill University, he spent a year as a fisheries observer in the Bering Sea where he developed an affinity for Alaska and its waters. He obtained his M.S. in Marine Biology at California State University Long Beach, before returning to Alaska for his Ph.D. in Fisheries at UAF. He then worked as a stock assessment scientist for the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic, and as a white shark researcher for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Beyond coordinating and partnership building for AOOS, Thomas gets out whenever he can to tag marine animals across the Northeast Pacific.
Kady Lyons
Dr. Kady Lyons joined the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation in 2026 as data manager of the N-PAcT node. Prior to this role, she was a research scientist in the private sector studying shark and ray biology, with emphasis on movement ecology using acoustic telemetry. Kady’s research interests focus on ecological physiology, the study of connecting how animals’ adaptations enable them to move through and interact with their environment. Kady’s passion for marine-based research is anchored in her southern Californian roots and many trips to the beach playing in tide pools, snorkeling and scuba diving from a young age.
Sandra Traverso
Sandra joined the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary team as their 2025 California Sea Grant fellow. She holds a Master of Biology from Cal Poly Humboldt, where her research focused on applied kelp forest restoration. Previously, Sandra worked to inspire marine stewardship and conservation through education and outreach as a Marine Science instructor and aquarist at the Catalina Island Marine Science Institute. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of California Santa Cruz, where she worked as a research assistant studying intertidal ecology. As a Sea Grant fellow, Sandra expanded her outreach and education experience, connected with the local community, and supported research and resource protection efforts. Sandra is currently contracting with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation to support Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary research, including coordinating the N-PAcT node. She contributes to the network by supporting the tagging of animals, maintaining receivers within the sanctuary and supporting data management for the node.
Emily Meese
Dr. Emily Meese joined the NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Research Team in 2024 as a Postdoctoral Scholar with the University of California Santa Barbara. Emily completed her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology in 2014 at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), her Master’s in Biology in 2019 with the CSULB Shark Lab, and her Ph.D. in Marine Biology in 2024 at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Emily has extensive experience using acoustic and satellite telemetry to measure movements and behaviors of elasmobranchs and bony fishes. She enjoys complementing this work with trophic and food web ecology. Emily’s role is to facilitate collaboration among animal tracking researchers, support tagging of animals and receiver array maintenance, and to create and implement data products.
Olivia Cleek
Olivia joined the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation in 2026 as a graduate student intern with the N-PAcT team. She earned her undergraduate degree in Zoology from Ohio State University and has been working in marine animal husbandry for the past 10 years. She currently works as an aquarist at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium caring for endangered and sensitive species such as white abalone, sunflower sea stars, and Pacific seahorses while also pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental Sciences at Oregon State University studying the presence and distribution of basking sharks in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.