Nicole Yen
Nicole Yen is a Pre-College Instructor at the University of California San Diego Extended Studies/Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Ms. Yen teaches a series of Marine Science classes for the UC San Diego Extended Studies Research Scholars program, including Introduction to Marine Science, Advanced Marine Biodiversity: Life on the Edge, and Introduction to Scientific Writing. The Research Scholars program at UC San Diego provides high school students with unparalleled educational opportunities that leverage the intellectual capital of an internationally ranked research university and teaches highly sought-after skills that can make students more competitive candidates for college admissions and internship opportunities. Prior to her teaching position at UC San Diego, Ms. Yen was a Graduate Researcher at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Ms. Yen’s research focuses on using phylogenetic tools to investigate the evolution and biogeography of dorvilleid polychaetes found in Eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents, seeps, and whale-falls. Other research projects she has been involved with include working with bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, chimpanzees, gorillas, giant pandas, and burrowing owls through institutions such as the San Diego Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Ms. Yen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology from the University of California, San Diego during which time she studied Marine Biology and Terrestrial Ecology at the University of Queensland (Australia). Ms. Yen received a Master’s degree in Marine Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Arts Degree in Education from the University of Southern California.