https://dkokamoto.com/people/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/dsc_1407_original-nikita-mehta-400x400-1.jpgDSC_1407_Original-Nikita-Mehta-400x400Nikita Mehta is a UC Berkeley graduate and field and lab technician in the Okamoto lab based at Bodega Marine Labhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/img_6064-2.jpgIMG_6064 (2)Jake Vargas is a second year PhD student in the Okomoto Lab. Prior to joining IB, Jake completed his Masters work at Cal Poly Humboldt, where he studied predator-prey interactions. In his idle time, Jake likes to eat food, ride trains, and listen to people tell stories. https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/raine_picture-1-1.jpegScreenshotRaine Detmer (she/her/hers) is a postdoc at UC Berkeley and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She completed her PhD in the Moeller Lab at UCSB, where she used calculus-based models to explore kelp forest and coral reef community dynamics. She is excited to learn statical methods for modeling dynamic systems and apply these methods to kelp forest ecosystems.https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/raine_picture-1.jpegScreenshothttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/img_4078.jpgIMG_4078Elena Wang is a fourth-year UCB undergraduate majoring in Molecular Environmental Biology. She is working on experimental feeding trials for red and white abalone in the lab.https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_1835.jpegIMG_1835https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ellington.jpegellingtonEllington Chen is a second year undergraduate working on bioenergetics of red abalone in the lab. https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ruffins.jpegRuffinsOlivia Ruffins is a first year PhD student with a background in ecophysiology and is brand new to marine science! Welcome to the lab Olivia!https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/img_0982.jpgIMG_0982Becca Ward-Diorio was a lab tech at UC Berkeley. She graduated from Brown University in 2023 and is now a PhD student in Integrative Biology in the Vasquez-Medina lab.https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sophia_williams.jpgSophia_WilliamsSophie Williams is a third-year undergraduate working in the Okamoto Lab on how environment and harvest shape reproductive investment in fish.2026-08-05T05:57:31+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/publications/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/800px-the_new_york_times_logo.png800px-The_New_York_Times_logohttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/smag.jpegSMAGhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/genereic-share-facebook.jpggenereic-share-facebookhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cbc-max-800x320.pngcbc.max-800x320https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the_vancouver_sun_logo.pngThe_Vancouver_Sun_logohttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/forbes_1200x1200.jpgforbes_1200x12002026-07-31T18:08:59+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/2025/12/18/phd-candidate-maya-munstermann-is-a-national-geographic-explorer/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/img20250902_00200837.jpgimg20250902_002008372025-12-18T17:30:43+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2025/11/20/were-seeking-candidates-for-two-post-doc-positions/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1.pngimagehttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image.pngimage2025-11-20T18:54:53+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2025/11/20/graduate-students-munstermann-and-westphal-awarded-best-talk-at-two-international-conferences/2025-11-20T18:51:45+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/diversity-and-inclusion/2025-02-05T04:14:42+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/2024/10/02/a-new-nsf-funded-global-center-on-macroalgae/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3u1a5370-1.jpg3U1A5370https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3u1a5370.jpg3U1A53702024-10-02T17:33:58+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2024/04/23/post-doc-dr-diana-lopez-awarded-a-prestigiuous-fulbright-to-conduct-coral-research-in-colombia/2024-04-23T14:11:47+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2024/04/23/two-phd-students-join-the-lab-at-berkeley-for-fall-2024/2024-04-23T14:06:12+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/research/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/tags.jpgTagshttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/kitasu2.jpgKitasu2https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mdt_abalone_urchin.jpgMDT_Abalone_Urchinhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/herring-spawn.jpgherring-spawnhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/urchins_chillin2.jpgOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPurple urchins in a SoCal kelp forest. Photo: Clint Nelson.https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/kitasu8.jpgkitasu8Seine boat in Kitasoo Bay, Canada. Photo: M. Thompsonhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/kitasu18.jpgkitasu18Bald eagle on freshly lain herring eggs eating herring in Kitasoo Bay, Canada. Photo: M. Thompsonhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1gtb-4-3-2012-_2-3.jpg1gtb-4-3-2012-_2-3Newly settled red urchin. Photo: Steve Schroeter.https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/deep-spawn-on-tubeworms-2.jpgdeep-spawn-on-tubeworms-2Markus Thompson surveying herring eggs at 90' depth. Spiller Channel, Canada. Photo: T. Blaine. https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/embiotoca_jacksoni2.jpgembiotoca_jacksoni2Black surfperch in a SoCal kelp forest. Photo: Ron McPeak2024-04-19T22:23:40+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/contact/2023-12-18T05:50:49+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/fun-stuff/2023-11-04T04:36:52+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/2023/09/11/the-okamoto-lab-is-moving-to-uc-berkeley/2023-09-11T17:58:08+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/teaching/2023-04-28T14:31:09+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.com/2023/04/12/nate-spindel-is-moving-to-moss-landing-for-a-post-doc/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/galloway_spindel-at-pillar_2018-07-22-copy-1.jpgOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA2023-04-12T13:18:59+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2023/04/10/phd-student-donaven-baughman-wins-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-grfp/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/donaven-baughman-1.pngdonaven-baughman-1https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/donaven-baughman.pngdonaven-baughman2023-04-10T20:25:23+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2022/08/29/several-new-fellowships-awarded-in-the-lab/2022-08-29T13:34:27+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2021/06/30/spindel-and-schumm-awarded-smithsonian-fellowships-for-2021-2022/2021-06-30T15:59:48+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2020/09/18/phd-post-doctoral-opportunities-in-population-effects-of-ocean-warming-at-florida-state-university-and-bodega-marine-lab/2021-06-30T14:44:56+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2020/06/03/were-looking-for-a-post-doc/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/collage.pngCollagehttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/abaloneunderlam_cc_m0010139.jpgExif_JPEG_PICTUREExif_JPEG_PICTUREhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/otter_ab-1.pngOtter_Abhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/copperrockfish_kyuquot_lynnlee_m0014601smaller.pngCopperRockfish_Kyuquot_LynnLee_M0014601smallerhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bedrocksmooth_urchins_m0011441.jpgExif_JPEG_PICTUREExif_JPEG_PICTUREhttps://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/otter_ab.pngOtter_Ab2020-10-15T00:29:29+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2019/01/28/nate-spindel-awarded-william-lenore-mote-graduate-summer-research-assistantship-and-the-aaus-zale-perry-scholarship/https://dkokamoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/d7a6768.jpg_d7a67682019-01-28T17:33:31+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2018/08/07/new-research-a-seastar-epidemic-leads-to-a-new-discovery-about-the-otter-urchin-kelp-dynamics/2018-08-07T23:53:37+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/2017/10/05/275/2017-10-06T19:12:09+00:00monthlyhttps://dkokamoto.com/blog/2017-10-04T13:53:20+00:00weekly0.6https://dkokamoto.comdaily1.02026-08-05T05:57:31+00:00