About Me

Hi! I’m Trevyn Toone.

I’m a marine ecologist and postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University. I’m interested in harnessing ecological principles to restore our coastal ecosystems.

Broadly, my research interests focus on optimizing coastal ecosystem restoration by providing targeted, science-based data for restoration managers. I believe ecosystem restoration can and should be a core component of any environmental plan. Restoration should be backed up by robust scientific evidence to make the best use of available efforts and funding. I’m seeking to expand our definition of restoration and encourage managers and conservationists to better incorporate complex environmental interactions into restoration efforts.

Specifically, my current research investigates the ecological interactions between primary and secondary coastal foundation species including oyster reefs, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. Ultimately this reseach is used to improve coastal restoration outcomes like biodiversity and climate resilience as well as enhance our baseline understanding of coastal ecosystems. This research uses extensive field work, including translocations, enhancement experiments, and observational surveys, as well as social science techniques and computational analyses.

I’m a passionate educator and have served as an instructor and teaching assistant for multiple courses ranging from introductory marine biology to advanced experimental design and statistics. My teaching approach focuses on using experiential education and classroom discussions to help students learn how and why we engage in science and to unravel some of the complex environmental and social issues facing the world.

I’m also an advocate for the use of non-traditional science communication to improve science accessibility. In particular, I’m passionate about the power of animation and storytelling to spread scientific information beyond its usual reach.