Postdoctoral and Research Associates

Dr. Diana Chin

Associate Research Scientist

Metro Boston Regional Coordinator, MassBays National Estuary Partnership

B.A. Boston University

Ph.D. Stony Brook University

Diana graduated from Boston University in 2008 with a B.A. in Biology with Specialization in Marine Science. She then worked for Amec (now Wood) and Arcadis as a human health and environmental risk assessment consultant, before moving to New York to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University. After completing her Ph.D. in 2019, Diana moved to Florida as an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology with appointments at the University of Florida and Florida International University. She relocated back to the Boston area in 2023 to join the Grabowski lab at Northeastern University. Diana’s graduate and postdoctoral research focused on mutualisms involving coastal foundation species, with an emphasis on the roles of chemosymbiotic bivalves (solemyid and lucinid clams) in seagrass ecosystems. Her ongoing research interests include bivalve-seagrass relationships and the application of plant-animal-sediment interaction research – and benthic ecology more broadly – toward coastal conservation, resilience, fisheries, aquaculture, and habitat restoration goals. As a Regional Coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MassBays program, Diana convenes the Boston Harbor Ecosystem Network (BHEN) and works to identify priorities for coastal health and protection in the Metro Boston region.

Email: di.chin@northeastern.edu


Dr. Kelsey Schultz

Postdoctoral Researcher

B.S. The Ohio State University

M.S. Northeastern University

Ph.D. Northeastern University

Email: shultz.k@northeastern.edu


Dr. Jessica Griffin

Coastal Sustainability Postdoctoral Fellow

Northeastern University and The Nature Conservancy

B.S. University of Connecticut

Ph.D. University of California, Davis and San Diego State University

Jessica graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2017 with a B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science. After graduation, she worked at the University of Vermont Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory as a research technician until enrolling in the Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology at University of California, Davis and San Diego State University. Jessica’s dissertation research focused on how climate change, eutrophication and invasive species may alter interactions between eelgrass and bivalves. In her current position as the Coastal Sustainability Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Northeastern University and The Nature Conservancy, she is applying her research on eelgrass-bivalve interactions to improve outcomes for eelgrass restoration. 

Email: je.griffin@northeastern.edu