Degree program: Ph.D. Oceanography / Marine Affairs (joint degree)

Year accepted: 2026

Advisor: Dr. Susanne Menden-Deuer

Research: Phytoplankton, Global Carbon Cycling, Equity in Ocean Governance

Background: Bachelor’s, Environmental Science, Western Washington University

Profile:

Alyssa Tsukada is a scientist, educator, and artist dedicated to advancing marine and climate research, promoting intersectional sustainability education, and enhancing accessible science communication. She grew up in a small town outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Alyssa earned her bachelor’s in environmental science from Western Washington University where she conducted her senior thesis on deep-sea hydrothermal vent microbial ecology and a secondary research project on Salish Sea plankton ecology. During this time, she also worked as the Sustainability Ambassador for the university’s Sustainability Engagement Institute and Science Editor and Illustrator for The Planet Magazine. After graduating, Alyssa worked as a scientific instrument technician at Western Washington University where she maintained scientific equipment, developed research methods, and trained others to use a variety of instruments ranging from high performance liquid chromatography to scanning electron microscopes. She also developed the university’s first Sustainable Lab Certification program.

Alyssa is currently a biological oceanography PhD student in Dr. Susanne Menden-Deuer’s lab at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. Her research centers around phytoplankton and their role in global carbon cycling. She also serves as the graduate plankton assistant for the Narragansett Bay Plankton Time Series collecting weekly samples from the bay to document ecological patterns, characterize the plankton populations, and monitor for harmful algal blooms. Alyssa seeks to pursue the URI joint degree program in Oceanography and Marine Affairs in order to take a more intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to her research by acknowledging and addressing the role of systemic inequity within science education, marine management, and ocean governance.

In her free time, Alyssa enjoys creating artwork inspired by her Japanese-American heritage for her small business, Tsukada Studios, cooking for friends, and practicing aerial yoga.