Jill Seymour, Ph.D.

Jill is a Marine Mammal Specialist and the Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Coordinator for NOAA
Fisheries. Prior to joining NOAA in 2021, she worked as an endangered species biologist at the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and in private
consulting. Over her 20+ year career studying and managing protected species, Jill has worked
with numerous endangered and threatened animals and plants, including high elevation Sierra
Nevada amphibians, whitebark pine, gray wolves, California condors, and many of Alaska’s
marine mammals.

Jill received her doctorate in Marine Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2014,
where her research focused on Pacific walruses, zoonotic disease transmission, and climatic
influences on foraging ecology. She also holds a B.A. in Biology and in Electronic and Computer
Music Composition and Technology from Mills College. Jill’s hobbies include kayaking, white-
water rafting, long-distance backpacking, and building musical instruments.