Dr. Zan Milligan is an assistant professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, Zan moved across the Atlantic to Florida for work, and four years later she is leading the Seascape Ecology Lab at NSU. She conducts research on deep-sea ecosystems to understand how fish use this vast environment, and how different human impacts - like oil exploration, fishing and climate change - might affect them. When she's not in the lab, Zan can be found behind a camera photographing wildlife (and occasionally, the podcast hosts at Her Step Forward!). See the view from behind her lens at wildoceanphotography.com.
In the field of marine ecology, Zan Milligan spends her days learning about the largest inhabitable living space on the planet - from the ocean’s surface to the depths of the sea floor, and now the water columns found in the open ocean.
Politely squashing the misconception that marine ecologists must study beautiful and exotic mammals, and spend a lot of time snorkeling, Zan explains how the role has dramatically evolved from the days when a net was the go-to tool. With today’s technology like remote-powered vehicles to acoustics and sonar, she and her colleagues are able to find new species of fish or study the ones we know least about, including the sort of “monster-looking” fish sometimes seen on tv.
Joining us to share her story, Zan talks about studying phytoplankton (microscopic marine algae) in the context of global warming; making the decision to change continents for work; and why photography and time outdoors are important keys for staying balanced.
