Samantha Monier, PhD

EDUCATION

PhD, The CUNY Graduate Center, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, 2024

• Thesis: Variability in associations among seabirds and marine mammals: Causes and consequences (https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5974/)

  • Studied local enhancement (where seabirds use other birds, marine mammals and predatory fishes as cues to food) in both the California Current and the sub-Antarctic

  • Developed statistical models integrating 20+ years of environmental data to quantify drivers of seabird distributions and changes in spatial patterns

  • Research partly funded by NOAA, NASA, and the NSF

  • Click HERE to watch the trailer for our new documentary about my time in the Antarctic! (Narrated by yours truly)

MA, Columbia University, Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, 2016

• Master’s Thesis: Evidence that false belief representation may be possible in old world monkeys

  • Assisted in data collection for several concurrent cognition projects with free-ranging rhesus monkeys on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Developed models to determine what factors influence a monkey’s performance on a cognitive test.

BA, Bard College, Biology (mind, brain, and behavior concentration), 2012

• Undergraduate Thesis: Puzzle solving as a means of understanding foraging decisions in captive lemurs, at the Trevor Zoo, in Millbrook, NY (https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2012/307/)

  • Designed an independent research project to evaluate lemur foraging behavior and cognitive ability. Lemurs were given the choice between using a tool to obtain a favorable reward or immediately consuming a less preferred food. Males were more likely to engage in tool use than females, even when the two sexes were equally competent at solving the puzzle.

PUBLICATIONS

Monier S, Manne L, Veit R. Changes in recurrent groups of South Georgia seabirds and mammals 1985–2023: decrease in opportunities for Local Enhancement? In review (invited contribution), submitted November 2025. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B

Yang H, Butler E, Monier S, Almubarak I, Siegel D. Identification of menstrual blood markers by proteomic mass spectrometry. Published online (ahead of print) November 2025. International Journal of Legal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-025-03655-3

Monier, S. 2024. Social interactions and information use by foraging seabirds. Biological Reviews. 99: 1717–1735. doi:10.1111/brv.13089.

Yang H, Butler E, Monier S, and Siegel D. 2022. Proteins, possibly human, found in World War II concentration camp artifacts. Scientific Reports 12:12369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16192-5

Yang H, Butler E, Monier S, Teubl J, Ueberheide B, Fenyö D, and Siegel D. 2021. A predictive model for vertebrate bone identification from collagen using proteomic mass spectrometry. Scientific Reports 11: 10900. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90231-5

Monier S, Viet RR, Manne L. 2020. Changes in positive associations among vertebrate predators at South Georgia during winter. Polar Biology 43: 1439-1451 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02720-4

(Publications where my contributions have been acknowledged in the “acknowledgments” section, either by name or as a “seabird observer”)

Veit RR, Velarde E, Horn MH, Manne LL. 2021. Population Growth and Long-Distance Vagrancy Leads to Colonization of Europe by Elegant Terns Thalasseus elegans. Front Ecol Evol 9. doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.725614.

Fuirst M, Veit RR, Hahn M, Dheilly N, Thorne LH. 2018. Effects of urbanization on the foraging ecology and microbiota of the generalist seabird Larus argentatus. PLoS One 13:1–22. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209200.

Goyert HF, Gardner B, Veit RR, Gilbert AT, Connelly E, Duron M, Johnson S, Williams K. 2018. Evaluating habitat, prey, and mesopredator associations in a community of marine birds. ICES J Mar Sci 75:1602–1612. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsy020.

Rosati AG, Santos LR. 2016. Spontaneous Metacognition in Rhesus Monkeys. Psychol Sci 27:1181–1191. doi:10.1177/0956797616653737.

Rosati AG, Arre AM, Platt ML, Santos LR. 2016. Rhesus monkeys show human-like changes in gaze following across the lifespan. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 283. doi:10.1098/rspb.2016.0376.

RESEARCH POSITIONS

Sea & Shorebird Monitoring, the Tuckernuck Land Trust, Coastal Steward, summer 2025

• Conducted surveys of breeding sea and shorebirds around Nantucket, MA. Focal species included oystercatchers, piping plovers, and least terns

• Liaised with the public to engage recreational beach goers in local conservation

Forensic Proteomics, New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, City Research Scientist I 2018, Visiting Scientist 2016–2018, Intern 2012–2013

• Aided in the development of a protocol to extract and concentrate proteins found in fresh bone, blood, muscle and burnt remains for species identification

• Laboratory skills: Protein extraction, quantification, concentration & digestion, High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry (Sciex 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF, 6600TripleTOF, 6500 QTRAP)

• Experience supervising interns, writing progress reports, drafting IRBs and SOPs

• Research partly funded by the DOJ

Environmental Impact Surveys, Research Foundation CUNY, Field Biologist (offshore surveyor, seabirds and marine mammals), 2012–2013

• Collected data on oceanographic parameters and marine mammal, turtle, and seabird distributions to inform offshore wind planning for The Mid-Atlantic Baseline Studies (https://briwildlife.org/mabs/).

CUNY, College of Staten Island

Adjunct Professor 2026, Adjunct Lecturer 2019–2024

Community Ecology, master’s elective

Science Communication, required master’s course (writing intensive)

Animal Behavior Lecture & Lab, elective upper-level undergraduate course (field-based lab, writing intensive)

Principles of Biology Labs, introductory undergraduate course

k-12

Science Activity Specialist, Neighborhood Improvement Association 2013–2014  

• Taught science to elementary and middle school children as part of a New York City public school enrichment program

SELECT CONFERENCE ACTIVITY

• 15-minute talk, “Positive associations among seabirds and marine mammals in the California Current“, Pacific Seabird Group (PSG), 50th Annual Meeting, San Diego (received presentation award)

• Invited panelist, Early Career Scientist Panel, Pacific Seabird Group (PSG), 49th Annual Meeting, virtual meeting

• Poster, “A new method for species identification using mass spectrometry and machine learning”, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 67th Meeting, Atlanta, GA

SELECT SERVICE

Manuscript review: Journal of Biogeography | Journal of Field Ornithology | Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS)

Civic engagement: Kings County, County Committee Member (NY 64th Assembly District), 2018–2022

Film:

Scientist, Narrator, & Scientific Consultant for “Antarctic Voyage” (https://www.antarcticvoyagemovie.com)

US SCREENINGS:
Broadcasted on Community Media television (live from the National Lighthouse Museum, NY) | Climate Film Festival in conjunction with WINGS: Women of Discovery, NY | Dunedin International Film Festival, FL (awarded “Best Cinematography”) | Nuttall Ornithological Club, Harvard University, MA

SCREENINGS ABROAD:
Húsavík Explorers Festival, Iceland | International Human-Environment Care Film Festival, Canada | Prague Science Film Festival, Czech Republic (nominated for “Best International Science Documentary”) | Scinema International Science Film Festival, Australia | Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, Mexico

Podcasts:

 “What Do We Do Next”? Podcast guest “How to make global change possible with Dr. Sam Monier” (https://whatdowedonext.us/podcast/how-to-make-global-change-possible-with-dr-sam-monier/)

Print:

Yang, Butler & Monier et al. 2022 featured in The New York Times: “A resolution at last for a father’s unsettling legacy” by SG Freedman (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/us/a-resolution-at-last-for-a-fathers-unsettling-legacy.html)