About
Scientist, Analyst, Collaborator
I work at the intersection of marine ecology and data science — bringing rigour from the field into every analysis.
Background
I'm Hasna Akther, founder of Ecological Taxonomy Research Consultancy LLC, a marine scientist with an MSc in Marine Science and a genuine fascination for the patterns that connect species, ecosystems, and data. My work spans the full arc from field collection to final figure, I've spent time in tidal zones, at the molecular bench, and in front of statistical software, and I bring all three perspectives to every project.
My MSc research focused on bioluminescent symbioses in fish and cephalopods, synthesising the literature on host specificity, bacterial mechanisms, and ecological roles. Earlier graduate work at UiT Norway and the University of Chittagong grounded me in fisheries economics, oceanography, and coastal ecosystem management.
That foundation was built through years of hands-on research across Europe about Arctic biological samples. At the University of Copenhagen, I conducted water quality analysis and environmental sampling of seagrass meadows, investigated heavy metal pollution gradients in terrestrial systems, and performed morphological analysis of marine organisms using scanning electron microscopy at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. At the Technical University of Denmark, I carried out Greenlandic fjords biological sample analysis, fish and fish larvae as well as krill population analysis and water quality analysis for marine ecosystem monitoring. I also completed specialised training at the Marine Research Institute in Iceland on North Atlantic krill larval identification.
At SFSU's Biology Department, I contributed to vertebrate taxonomy and population ecology fieldwork focused on native mice species across California field sites including San Bruno and San Rafael. Work involved live trapping, morphological identification, tissue sampling for DNA sequence analysis, and museum voucher preparation — connecting field collection directly to molecular and taxonomic data pipelines.
Outside of research, I'm drawn to the communication side of science — making complex datasets legible, building figures that tell a story, and writing reports that hold up to peer scrutiny. I believe good analysis is only as valuable as its presentation.
SFSU vertebrate fieldwork — California
Education
M.Sc. in Interdisciplinary Marine & Estuarine Science (IMES)
Estuarine & Ocean Science Center (EOS), San Francisco State University (SFSU)
2023–2025
GPA: 3.89 "A". Thesis: Bioluminescent symbioses of fish and cephalopods with bacterial symbionts.
M.Sc. in Fisheries & Aquaculture Management and Economics (FAME)
University of Tromsø (UiT), Norway
2009–2011
GPA: 3.25 . Thesis: The Relationships between Destination Image, Destination Personality and Tourist's Future Behavioral Intention: An Exploratory Study.
M.S. in Oceanography & B.Sc. in Marine Sciences
Institute of Marine & Fisheries Sciences, University of Chittagong (CU), Bangladesh
2001–2008
GPA: First-class equivalent 'A'. Thesis: Fishery diversity and environmental management of mangrove forest in the southeast coast of Bay of Bengal.
Professional Affiliations
Southern California Association of Marine Invertebrate Taxonomists (SCAMIT)
Member — Active participant in monthly workshops
Active member of SCAMIT, a professional society dedicated to the taxonomy and identification of marine invertebrates. Regularly participates in monthly workshops covering polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs, cnidarians, and other invertebrate groups, alongside taxonomists from research institutions, environmental consulting firms, and regulatory agencies across Southern California.
https://www.scamit.org/Technical Skills
Analysis & Statistics
- R (vegan, ape, ggplot2)
Research Philosophy
"Good science is patient."
I'm drawn to questions at the boundary.