Taylor White is the Partnership Manager supporting collaborative research between the Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC) and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska (STA). In this role, she works alongside a joint steering committee to help identify community priorities, connect researchers with partners, and support research approaches grounded in respectful and reciprocal relationships in the Sheet’ká (Sitka) area.

Taylor is a community ecologist from Sheet’ká, Alaska, grateful to work and play in Lingít Aaní. She began with the SSSC as a volunteer in 2007 and later returned as Aquarium Manager from 2013 to 2015 after completing her BA in Biology and Environmental Studies at Whitman College. During this time, she contributed to intertidal monitoring research at the SSSC, an experience that helped shape her path toward graduate study.

She went on to earn her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her research focused on pinto abalone, sea otters, and their connections with coastal communities across Southeast Alaska. Her work bridges Western science with local and Indigenous Knowledge, offering a more holistic understanding of the complex interactions among these species.

She is especially interested in co-produced research that reflects community values and priorities. Outside of work, Taylor enjoys snorkeling, hiking to alpine lakes, gardening, volunteering at the local radio station (KCAW), aerial silks, and surfing.