U.S. Geological Survey
Social Scientist (August 2020-Current)
Stakeholder engagement for the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Program and the Integrated Water Availability Assessments program. She designs and conducts focus groups and interviews with stakeholders, analyzes the results, and is in the process of publishing her team's findings. She is also working on a USGS guide on best practices for designing decision support tools. 

The AOML South Florida Program
Research Assistant (August 2019)
On this week-long research cruise we collected water quality and oceanographic samples and data to support the AOML South Florida Program (SFP), a long term study that aims to yield answers to important questions regarding the status, maintenance and welfare of the south Florida coastal marine ecosystem. 

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Research Associate (2018/2019)

• Assessment of the social and economic impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on commercial and recreational fishing industries in the USVI. Our publication can be found here.
• Holistic ecosystem-based research on the multifaceted impacts of red tide in the West Florida Shelf region. Our publication can be found here.
• Social Dimensions of the Fishery for Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) in Florida. This included more than 50 informal interviews with commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen and dealers. We also conducted six focus group interviews, in addition to group interviews with Recreational Fishing Associations members. Our primary research focus related to issues of catch allocation. What we found surprised us as these fishermen, often financially, spatially and ideologically pitted against one another, shared many perspectives and often reached similar types of pragmatic and policy related solutions. 

NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Field Technician (2018)
Completed fieldwork for a project titled, "Evaluating the Influence of Seagrass Structure and Salinity on the Recruitment of Seagrass-Associated Epifauna Using Artificial Seagrass Units". 

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Graduate Research Assistant (2016-2018)
Thesis Research Focus: Assessing the changes in Florida coastal communities resulting from sea level rise and storm events: Determining the human dimensions of water-based activities, use patterns, and vulnerability indicators.

University of Miami's Shark Research and Conservation Lab
Outreach Coordinator and Graduate Researcher (2017)
Amanda taught shark biology classes remotely and in person to a range of students from elementary through high school while researching the impact of the lab's outreach program through surveying students before and after research expeditions. 

The Biscayne Bay Economic and Spatial Study 
Survey Team Member (2017)
The Biscayne Bay Economic and Spatial study was a collaborative project between NOAA Florida Sea Grant and Miami Waterkeeper to determine the economic value and spatial flexibility of Biscayne Bay fisheries and recreational water operations. Amanda was on the Biscayne Bay Economic and Spatial Study survey team. 

Friday Harbor Laboratories 
Undergraduate Researcher (2013)
During this five-week course focusing on marine mammal and shorebird ecology at Friday Harbor Laboratories, affiliated with the University of Washington, Amanda conducted a behavioral research study of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) on Yellow Island, a marine preserve located in the San Juan Islands in Washington State.