Nicole is a URI Ph.D. candidate in biological sciences. Her research focuses on the predator-prey interactions surrounding the invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, and how their introduction has altered established food web interactions in Narragansett Bay, RI. In addition to her dissertation work, Nicole is interested in interdisciplinary collaborations to promote marine policy. She is a National Science Foundation IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education Research and Training) Fellow, during which she interned at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Narragansett to assess the progress of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) program and at the Center for Ocean Solutions in Monterey, California to help develop ecological principles to assess ecosystem health. Most recently, Nicole has been awarded a 2011 Legislative Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.