Malia Chow, Ph.D.
NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Maui, HI USA
"More than ever, the problems that need to be solved now have to be done with a whole new way of thinking...I'm very optimistic about human ingenuity and the ability to use science to tackle some really important problems."
Career Roadmap
Malia's work combines: Science, Environment & Nature, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I had to understand how science informs decision making and be able to communicate to people how important the ocean is and why we need to preserve it.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Molecular Biology
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Doctorate
Molecular Biology
University of Pennsylvania
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
She grew up in the Hawaiian Islands, but she left to go to college.
2.
She went to college at the University of Washington and got a degree in biology; she thought she wanted to be a doctor.
3.
When she applied to medical schools, counselors looked at all the research she’d done and said, “Why don’t you pursue that?”
4.
She realized they were right; she truly loved doing biological research, so she kept going after it.
5.
Earned her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania, then did a few postdoctoral fellowships.
6.
She was studying mammalian systems, but she knew if she wanted to get back to the islands, she had to study marine biology.
7.
She was brought back to Hawaii to set up a research lab studying fish connectivity throughout the islands.
8.
After years of doing research, she realized to be effective, she had to go into policy; now she has a foot in both worlds.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why should I care about the ocean?
How I responded:
I had to understand how science informs decision making and be able to communicate to people how important the ocean is and why we need to preserve it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I needed to get creative on how to finance my university undergraduate and post graduate work.