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Who We Are
Meet the RESTORE Science Program Team
Dr. Julien Lartigue is the Director of NOAA’s RESTORE Science Program. Julien uses his experience working at academic institutes across the Gulf States and with federal and state agencies to connect the research and information needs of resource managers to the problem-solving capacity within the research community. As a long-time resident of the Gulf Coast, he is committed to the conservation and wise-management of the region’s natural resources and the future of its coastal communities. Julien has a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College and holds a PhD in Marine Sciences from the University of South Alabama.
Mr. Frank Parker is the Associate Director of NOAA’s RESTORE Science Program within the National Ocean Service’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. In that role, he manages coordination, planning, and implementation efforts for the Science Program, including funding competitions, and ensures program findings and tools are used to support resource management and sustainability for the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Frank has served in several NOAA positions, including special assistant to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) as a Knauss Marine Policy fellow; an ecologist in OAR’s Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation; the program coordination officer for research for NOAA’s Under Secretary; headquarters liaison for the NOAA Chief Scientist during the Deepwater Horizon environmental disaster; and National Coordinator for NOAA’s eight Regional Teams (collectively, the Regional Collaboration Network). Frank holds a B.A. and M.S. in biology from Florida International University and did advanced graduate work at the College of William and Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Frank graduated from NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program in 2015.
Dr. Caitlin Young is the Science Coordinator for the NOAA RESTORE Science Program. As Science Coordinator she works with Science Program awardees to transfer research results to resource managers to promote a sustainable Gulf of Mexico. Caitlin leads the Science Program efforts to synthesize environmental and human dimension research data available for the Gulf of Mexico to design funding competitions. Caitlin has a BS in Geology from Tulane University and a PhD in Geosciences from Stony Brook University.
Dr. Hannah O. Brown is the Communications & Engagement Specialist for the NOAA RESTORE Science Program. Hannah uses her experience as a social scientist, science communicator, and journalist to build a network of resource users, managers, and scientists in the Gulf. Hannah is a Florida native with deep roots in the state who has researched the human dimensions of Gulf Coast fisheries. She holds a BA in Psychology from New College of Florida, a MA in Mass Communications from the University of Florida, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida.
Ms. Miranda Madrid is the Science and Communications Coordinator for the NOAA RESTORE Science Program. In 2021, Miranda joined the Science Program as a Science-Policy Fellow with the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program. Prior to working with the Science Program, Miranda gained experience in the non-profit sector, and these experiences continue to influence her interest in community engagement. Her graduate research focused on evaluating the impact of local, long-term monitoring at the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve. In her current role with the Science Program, she supports the management of existing awards, evaluation of funded projects, and communications and engagement activities with Gulf researchers and resource managers. She also supports the development and implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility practices into the Program’s work. Miranda has a BS in Environmental Sciences from the University of Notre Dame and a MS in Marine Science from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute.
Ms. Katie Loesser is joining the NOAA RESTORE Science Program as a Science-Policy Fellow through the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program. She recently completed her graduate research, which explored the effects of climate change and human-mediated landscape alterations on coastal wetland food webs in southeastern Louisiana. Katie looks forward to contributing to the Science Program’s work connecting scientists and natural resource managers in the Gulf of Mexico region. She has a BS in Biology from the University of Florida and an MS in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Becky Allee is a Fisheries Biologist and Senior Scientist for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management-Gulf of Mexico region, and Senior Advisor for NOAA’s RESTORE Science Program. Dr. Allee has over twenty years of experience in ecosystem assessment and habitat characterization, with the majority of this time invested in overseeing program operations, evaluations, and policies to advance the mission, goals and objectives of various NOAA programs. She has been working specifically on environmental issues and the human dimension connections related to the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem for the past ten years. Becky works closely with researchers to ensure the outcomes of NOAA’s science investments support the needs of resource managers and decision makers. She has a BS and MS in Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University and holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Arkansas.
Dr. Pete Key works for the Ecotoxicology Branch of the Stressor Detection and Impacts Division at the National Ocean Service’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Charleston Laboratory and is on a partial detail with the NOAA RESTORE Science Program. He supports the Director and Associate Director of the Science Program by providing technical and logistical support for funded projects and upcoming funding opportunities. Pete has worked on many projects in his career at NOAA ranging from developing crustacean life cycle tests for screening contaminants to investigating effects of oil spill dispersants on sensitive estuarine species. He has published over 60 manuscripts in scientific journals and has given numerous presentations at national and international meetings. Pete has a BS in Biology from Clemson University and an MS and PhD in Environmental Health from the University of South Carolina.