Brenna Mahoney

Brenna Mahoney is an experienced scientific researcher and naturalist, having worked and studied around the world from polar to tropical ecosystems.  Born and raised outside of Washington, D.C., Brenna took an early interest in marine ecology through many family trips to the beach and to science centers.  Brenna earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University where she worked on coral disease ecology and became certified as a scientific diver.

After graduating she worked as a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the Friday Harbor Marine Laboratories.  She has also worked as an educator and naturalist at the New England Aquarium, the Seacoast Science Center, and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.  Brenna’s experience includes extensive research and educational work in marine ecosystems ranging from tropical coral reef ecology (Mexico, Egypt, Caribbean, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Florida), temperate ecosystems (Alaska, California, New Hampshire, Canada), and polar ecology (Antarctica).  

Brenna is currently working on her doctoral dissertation at the University of California, Santa Cruz and specializes in algal and invertebrate taxonomy and ecology in Marine Protected Areas.  She can often be found enthusiastically exploring tide pools, rocky reefs, and the underwater world.  Brenna is new to the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic team and is excited to share her knowledge and enthusiasm of the natural world.