Veronica Malabanan Lucchese
PhD Candidate, NOAA-LMRCSC Graduate Fellow II
Veronica Malabanan Lucchese is a NOAA-LMRCSC Fellow II and PhD candidate studying Environment and Society at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. With a passion for life sciences, environmental justice, and community engagement, Veronica is dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in environmental management.
Her dissertation employs Socio-Ecological Network Analysis and Ethnographic Film to strengthen the management of both invasive and native fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. A central focus of her research is the spread of blue catfish across the York, Rappahannock, and Patapsco river watersheds. To reach a broad audience, she uses a combination of coding, web scraping, in-person surveys, and science communication tools to connect scientific research with community perspectives.
Throughout graduate school, Veronica has received several awards in recognition of her environmental leadership, including the MEES Graduate Program Fund Menzer Award, the Bill Huppert Endowed Student Award, and First Place for Physical Environment in The Green Space Data Challenge from Georgetown University. She produced the documentary "Managing the Potomac", which highlights environmental injustices faced by the Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia, and continues to collaborate with the Tribe while forming partnerships with other Indigenous and local organizations. She also organized the first-ever Rappahannock Catfish Cookout, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address invasive species management through dialogue—and shared meals.
Veronica’s work has been featured in the Washington Post and Chesapeake Bay Magazine for her efforts in invasive fisheries research and community engagement. A passionate science communicator, she manages social media platforms across LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, & her website to make science more accessible and engaging to the public.
At UMCES, Veronica contributed to the 2022 and 2023/24 Chesapeake Bay Report Cards, producing short films, social media content, and communications products. She also updated the Stewardship Index for the 2023/24 release, supporting the international COAST Card project. Previously, from 2019 to 2022, she worked as a NOAA contractor for the Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers, focusing on scientific communication, outreach, web design, and economic data analysis.
Veronica earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, where she studied Marine Affairs, Geology, and Anthropology.