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

Ryan Logan

Dr. Ryan Logan earned his undergraduate degree in marine biology from the University of Hawaii Manoa in 2013, conducting research on juvenile scalloped hammerhead shark feeding behavior. He later interned at Mote Marine Laboratory, studying shark oxygen consumption under different conditions. 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, key species for regional ecotourism. As the Node Manager for NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Ryan now oversees data sharing and collaboration among west coast animal tracking researchers.

Ryan Freedman

Ryan Freedman
Dr. Ryan Freedman first joined Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary’s science team in March 2014 as a California Sea Grant fellow on a one-year appointment. He stayed with the CINMS team through a contract with Cardinal Point Captains before becoming a federal employee on staff in February 2020. His research background covers a wide range of topics; in particular he is interested in addressing coastal management concerns using a variety of spatial and quantitative techniques.

Megan McKinzie

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

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.