Jesseca Kusher

About me

I am a 2025-26 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow serving in the United States Executive Branch. Specifically, I work as a science and technology advisor in the Headquarters of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. My master’s research developed biophysical models of phytoplankton ecology and blue carbon sequestration via fieldwork and remote sensing techniques in Charleston, South Carolina. My research interests center around mixed-methods approaches for reducing spatial bias in scalable models of ecosystem productivity. I am currently searching for a PhD position en route to a career in academia.

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Skills not included in my CV

  • Plastic-wrapped a marine library (hurricane prep)
  • Made a functional sail out of a tarp in a thunderstorm while canoeing ~200 miles (right)
  • Identified a heart-attack and successfully med-evacuated a patient onto a helicopter
  • Competed in Grand Mannan (NB) Canada Day telephone pole, made it ~1 meter (the barrel was about that long)
  • Organized trivia nights on a remote field station for a field season; learned conflict resolution

Read my CV

Get in touch: kusherjm@g.cofc.edu

About me

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The best research questions are riddles.

Hello! I’m Jess, a recently graduated master’s student who studied estuarine carbon sequestration in Charleston, South Carolina via remote sensing techniques. I hope to pursue a PhD in biophysical modeling of ecosystem productivity, utilizing mixed-methods approaches (e.g. remote sensing via satellite, continuous environmental data via buoy/station, animal movement data for targeted sampling approaches, etc.).

My master’s thesis taught me practical and interpersonal skills. I have a appreciation for the resources required to conduct good research.

My interests outside of academia include whitewater canoeing, backpacking, and exploring nature. I am especially happy with a pair of binoculars (I would hate to miss a good bird), climbing over fucus-covered rocks to see whatever the sea might have brought in with the tide.

That said, I also find a lot of joy in the little things – like when you feel like you’ve truly earned the ggplot2 figure in RStudio.

Please contact me at kusherjm@g.cofc.edu. You can view my CV here.

Curriculum vitae

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Jesseca Kusher CV
2025 Update: Please contact me directly for an updated copy of my CV.

Contact
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Please first email kusherjm@g.cofc.edu. Note that the College of Charleston spam filters are extremely sensitive. I can also be contacted using the form below.

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