Breck Alyssa Mccollum

Hello! My name is Breck McCollum and my pronouns are She/Her. I am a temperate subtidal marine community ecologist with a penchant for rocky shores and mentoring undergraduates. My research focuses on biodiversity and community structure, and the important role each of these play in determining the adaptability and resilience of these communities in a rapidly changing ocean environment. I am particularly interested in invertebrates both of the sessile kind, like sponges, tunicates, and cnidarians that act as ecosystem engineers for microfauna such as amphipods, pycnogonids, worms, and juvenile mussels, snails, and crabs (otherwise known as “fish food”). As well as the arguably more charismatic mobile invertebrates like sea urchins, sea stars, lobsters, whelks, and nudibranchs. Originally from the PNW, I have lived in the Boston area since 2015 and have spent countless hours in and around the Gulf of Maine. I am currently wrapping up my PhD at the University of Massachusetts Boston with an expected graduation date of December 2025.