Nicole earned her BS in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution with a minor in Marine Science from UC San Diego. She then went on to complete her Master's in Biology at UC San Diego studying the spatial ecology of juvenile corals. Now as a Staff Researcher in the Sandin Lab, Nicole leads data management and oversees processing of large-area imaging workflows for internal and collaborative projects in the lab. She aims to increase access to large-area imaging through her involvement with methods trainings in image collection, model processing and ecological analysis, and by creating visualizations and archives of imagery collected by the lab to share with partners and the broader public. Her own research interests involve the use of large area imaging to study population dynamics of coral communities by tracking changes in colonies over time and across space.