Ryan Jones is 2024 Knauss Fellow serving as an Ocean and Coastal Policy Analyst on NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) Policy Team. In this role, Ryan will assist NOS leadership and programs in addressing complex coastal challenges and supporting NOS engagements with Congress, the White House, other federal and state agencies, and constituents. Ryan is excited to see firsthand how science is used to inform policy and to gain valuable experience analyzing, developing, and promoting legislation and policy initiatives.

Originally from Madison, Alabama, Ryan has lived in Hawai‘i since 2016. He completed his PhD in zoology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2023. His dissertation research focused on the ecology of two species of coral-dwelling scorpionfishes that are found across the Hawaiian Islands. While extremely common, these species are relatively understudied. Ryan’s work helped describe the habitats in which these species are found, what they eat, and whether or not they compete with one another for resources. Ryan is passionate about the conservation of threatened marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, and values the importance of communicating to the public the dangers these ecosystems face.