Lauren Cooley is a marine mammal biologist with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands based at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). At Vandenberg, she leads pinniped and sea otter population survey efforts, responds to marine mammal strandings, and supports various wildlife management, research, and conservation programs across the vast military installation. Lauren received her BS in Animal Science from Cornell University in 2016 and her MS in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 2022 where her master’s thesis explored northern elephant seal stress physiology.