Nicole Powers, Ph.D.

Nicole C. Powers is an Assistant Research Scientist working in the HRI Coastal Water Health Lab. As a marine microbiologist, she is particularly enthusiastic about research opportunities that connect ecosystem health and community well-being.

Nicole completed her Ph.D. at TAMU-CC, where her research focused on water quality and the sources, drivers, and impacts of fecal pollution in the marine environment. Her postdoctoral research involved in-depth assessments of water quality and fecal pollution in the Baffin Bay watershed and City-By-The-Sea, a local canal community. The results of these projects identified the fecal pollution sources posing the greatest risk for human health and provided guidance for prioritizing mitigation efforts to enhance water quality.

In her current role at HRI, she is responsible for developing the Texas Coast Ecosystem Health Report Cards to identify trends and concerning changes in water quality, wildlife abundance, and habitat coverage throughout the coast. She looks forward to engaging with stakeholders and communicating results to support conservation and management efforts throughout the Gulf of Mexico.