Kelly is a Ph.D. student and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is also a PADI Divemaster and AAUS Scientific Diver with over 1,000 research dives. Kelly earned her B.S. from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she pursued her passion for ecology through extensive fieldwork in American Samoa and Bermuda. Through her dissertation research in the Florida Keys and Moorea, French Polynesia, Kelly investigates the community ecology of coral settlement, and her work aims to understand how trophic interactions shape coral larval habitat selection. Kelly’s goal is to promote reef conservation by studying the processes that drive reef resilience and recovery. Kelly also values field-based learning and strives to foster exploration and hands-on experiences for the next generation of scientists by volunteering for the Sea Education Association.