Alexandra Fine (MA, 2016)

Before joining the Marine Conservation and Policy (MCP) program, Alexandra Fine earned a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. After several years working in tropical ecology, she returned to New York to shift her focus from marine mammals to conservation and policy, enrolling in the MCP program at Stony Brook University. 

During her time in the program, Alexandra was mentored by Dr. Carl Safina and completed two impactful internships. At Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Marine Program, she worked on shellfish and seagrass restoration, outreach, and education. Simultaneously, she contributed to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Seascape Program, where she supported shark conservation, eel restoration in the Bronx River, and efforts to nominate the Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary. 

These experiences laid the groundwork for her current role leading the science team at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, part of NOAAs National Ocean Service. Alexandra’s work is complex and wide ranging — from developing a new sanctuary monitoring program to leading coral reef monitoring efforts through the Florida Reef Resilience Program and NOAAs Coral Reef Monitoring program. She thrives on the variety of her work, the opportunity to apply research to adaptive management, and the ability to collaborate with scientists to better protect marine ecosystems. She loves that she gets to work with an amazing team and work to protect and save Florida’s coral reefs. 

Looking back on the MCP program, her favorite experience was the field course in Jamaica, where she practicedresearch diving skills and studied invasive species management first hand.