Brenda Ballachey, Ph.D.
Population status and indices of population condition; population, physiological and ecological effects of oil exposure on marine mammals and coastal ecosystems; environmental toxicology, physiology and genetics of marine mammals.
Professional Experience
2016 - Present Research Physiologist Emeritus, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1990 - 2016 Research Physiologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1989 - 1990 Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1987 - 1989 Staff Officer, Board on Agriculture, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.
1986 - 1987 Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1985 - 1985 Instructor, Department of Animal Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1981 - 1985 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1977 - 1980 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1985 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Animal Breeding and Genetics
M.S. 1980 Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO Animal Sciences
B.S. 1974 Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO Animal Science
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Marine Mammalogy
The Wildlife Society
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Science and Products
Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence
Detecting and inferring cause of change in an Alaska nearshore marine ecosystem
Gene transcript profiling in sea otters post-Exxon Valdez oil spill: A tool for marine ecosystem health assessment
Long-term monitoring program: Evaluating chronic exposure of harlequin ducks and sea otters to lingering Exxon Valdez Oil in Western Prince William Sound
Variability within nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska
Pacific blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the Gulf of Alaska: Synthesis of Gulf Watch data (2006-2013) and a consideration of major recruitment events (1989-2013)
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project final report: Monitoring for evaluation of recovery and restoration of injured nearshore resources
Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Challenges to sea otter recovery and conservation
The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill
Lessons from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill: A biological perspective
2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Science and Products
Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence
Detecting and inferring cause of change in an Alaska nearshore marine ecosystem
Gene transcript profiling in sea otters post-Exxon Valdez oil spill: A tool for marine ecosystem health assessment
Long-term monitoring program: Evaluating chronic exposure of harlequin ducks and sea otters to lingering Exxon Valdez Oil in Western Prince William Sound
Variability within nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska
Pacific blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the Gulf of Alaska: Synthesis of Gulf Watch data (2006-2013) and a consideration of major recruitment events (1989-2013)
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project final report: Monitoring for evaluation of recovery and restoration of injured nearshore resources
Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Challenges to sea otter recovery and conservation
The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill
Lessons from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill: A biological perspective
2013 update on sea otter studies to assess recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government