Tigerlily graduated with honors from Duke University in May 2025 where she completed an interdepartmental major in sociology and psychology, a minor in marine science and conservation and a certificate in sustainability engagement with a focus in biocultural restoration. Tigerlily is a Questbridge scholar, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and is a first year PhD in the Silliman lab.
Tigerlily was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and grew up primarily in Hawaii, throughout her life developing a deep love for the environment and community relationally with the natural world. In Hawaii much of her studies were centered on the meaningful involvement of the community in environmental studies, she feels extremely fortunate to continue to learn and grow in a place many would call the global leader in biocultural restoration. She is also experienced in outdoor education, and hopes to continue to connect with community through her future work. Her previous research has been centered on foundation species and restoration ecology, including monitoring benthic algaes, analyzing how Haena’s community based sustainable fishing area has affected the health of corals, testing the effects of sonar on coral polyps and harnessing biological partnerships and stress conditioning to facilitate coastal salt marsh ecosystem recovery. She is broadly interested in biocultural restoration, community ecology, and restoration ecology though she looks forward to both specifying and expanding her interests throughout her PhD.