Dr. Bracken grew up in Petersburg, Alaska, and spent time in the current SSSC facilities while attending the Sitka Summer Fine Arts Camp in the 1980s. He is excited about returning to the area to work with citizen scientists to gain long-term perspectives on how marine biodiversity has changed in the Sitka area over the past 70 years. Matt is currently an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine, where his research evaluates the causes and consequences of biodiversity changes in marine ecosystems, including studies showing how nutrients, consumers, stress, and invasive species modify diversity in marine communities and how changes in species diversity and composition affect the services and functions provided by intact marine systems. Dr. Bracken was  in residence from early July through early August, 2014. KCAW INTERVIEW Publication - "Warming and Elevated CO2 Interact to Drive Rapid Shifts in Marine Community Production"