Julia's Master of Science research under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Vincent and Project Seahorse at the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries focused (a) on filling critical life history gaps for three seahorse species that are common in international trade, and (b) developing a global estimate of the number of seahorses taken annually in bycatch. Julia conducted her field research in peninsular Malaysia in collaboration with researchers from the University of Malaya. Following the completion of her MSc, Julia worked under the supervision of Dr Nicholas Dulvy as the Programme Officer for the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group. She is responsible for developing conservation strategies (most recently for devil and manta rays), and coordinating global IUCN Red List assessments for sharks, rays, and chimaeras (most recently for species endemic to the North East Pacific ocean).

 

She completed her Bachelor of Science at Dalhousie University where she was also a student in the Science Co-op Program. She spent two semesters interning at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences where she completed her field-based honours research in coral reef reproduction and recruitment under the supervision of Dr Samantha de Putron. After graduating in 2010 she went on to work as a research assistant in the Bahamas looking at invasive lionfish, she analyzed ancient deep-sea sponges on the Flemish Cap with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and she worked on Heron Island in Australia where she assisted a University of Queensland PhD student in examining surgeonfish grazing impacts.