She is the Associate Dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington in Seattle. In addition to her academic duties, Julia is the founder and Executive Director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), involving hundreds of coastal community members from California to Alaska in rigorous citizen science centered on ocean health. Together, Julia and her citizen team have mapped the influence of a changing climate, created the definitive baseline for environmental catastrophes from oil spills to harmful algal blooms, and connected people to the natural history and cool science of the beaches they love.