ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Kailani Acosta. I'm a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO). I am interested in biological oceanography and spatial and temporal changes in Phosphorus and Nitrogen in the upper ocean.
Growing up near the coast on Long Island, I frequented development-imperiled marshes and estuaries. My passion for nature grew with age, and I began to notice the anthropogenic tolls on my favorite natural places. During my undergraduate studies at Brown and studying abroad in Madagascar, I aggregated my disparate scientific interests into a love of oceanic research and answering questions on how the world works and why.
​
Collecting Melampus snails in West Creek with Olivia Bernard (left) for Bethany Williams' Melampus project. Marine Biological Laboratory 2014, Rowley MA.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Nutrient Cycling and Oceanography
​
The ocean is a vast, frequently changing system that can be viewed from myriad angles. In my Ph.D. research, I aim to draw from biological, chemical, physical, and microbial ecology and oceanography to better understand nutrient cycling. Mathematical modeling will further inform and help to visualize trends in data and in environments with different perturbations over time.
2018 - 2023 (Expected)
Columbia University
New York, NY
Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Sciences
Climate Change
​
Climate change impacts marine environments and global systems with ever-increasing intensity. At Brown, I worked with the Climate and Development Lab (CDL) to focus on the least developed countries that will be impacted first and worst by climate change. This research led me to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris 2015. I would like to continue global climate policy work throughout my Ph.D., and use my scientific research to inform policy decisions.
Biogeochemistry
​
Interdisciplinary work is often immensely impactful because it allows researchers to approach problems in unconventional ways. I started my foray into science as a research assistant in a terrestrial biogeochemistry lab, and continued to conduct both field and lab research in biogeochemistry throughout my undergraduate tenure. It was most interesting because each piece of the puzzle informed the bigger picture. The amount of carbon in a leaf from a tree in a secondary succession forest can tell you about the history of the land and its future with climate change. Similarly, while working with the Marine Biological Lab, we saw the impacts of excess nitrogen addition on creeks firsthand.
2012 - 2016
Brown University
Providence, RI
B.S., Environmental Science
2009 - 2012
East Islip High School
Islip Terrace, NY
Education and Outreach
​
Education and outreach are essential components of science communication. Reaching people, and communicating impactful messages and ideas is what all scientists strive for. I have been fortunate enough to both create environmental education curriculums and teach various environmental and climate courses to both children and adults. As a facilitator for CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience), I was able to both teach community members about the science behind climate change and what is happening in Miami specifically, but also inform and empower people to make changes by informing others, becoming active in local politics, and creating their own community resilience projects.
Climate and Development Lab at the Paris Conference 2015.
2020
Columbia University
New York, NY
M.A., Earth and Environmental Sciences