Elaine Alberts

As Manager of Conservation Policy, Elaine Alberts informs Georgia Aquarium’s Center for Species Survival (CSS) on species specific policy issues developing at the local, state, federal, and international level. This work includes policies and initiatives such as the listing status of threatened and endangered marine species under the Endangered Species Act, IUCN Red List, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UNESCO Decade Collaborative Center (DCC) for Ocean-Climate Solutions, federal investment in marine science and climate change initiatives, and increasing accessibility for underserved groups in the STEM field. Elaine analyzes conservation legislation to connect Georgia Aquarium’s research capabilities and skills to relevant policy needs. These research, conservation, and policy initiatives work together to support Georgia Aquarium as an IUCN Center for Species Survival and a UN Decade Collaborative Center for Ocean-Climate Solutions.

Elaine is the co-chair of the Georgia Aquarium Sustainability & Conservation Culture Task Force which provides opportunities for Georgia Aquarium staff to participate in conservation initiatives in-house. She joined Georgia Aquarium in 2021 as a Project Coordinator for Georgia Aquarium’s Research & Conservation Department. She is still the “telemetry guru” for the research team and assists with all aspects of Georgia Aquarium’s telemetry and tagging research. During her tenure as a Project Coordinator, she participated in research expeditions from Savannah to Galapagos. Elaine is an avid scuba diver and in 2021 completed her Level 1-3 Poseidon Se7en Training through the Rebreather Association of International Divers.

Before joining Georgia Aquarium, Elaine received a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Environment, Sustainability, & Policy from Syracuse University in 2019. During her studies, Elaine spent 3.5 years working in the Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab at Syracuse University studying acoustics of North Atlantic Right Whales and Manatees. In 2020, Elaine completed a M.S.c. in Marine Ecosystem Management at University of St Andrews, Scotland. During her Master’s, she focused on drivers of diverging trends in colony size of Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula.