Dr. Michelle Barbieri Lino is a Veterinary Translational Scientist with the SeaDoc Society.

Prior to joining SeaDoc in 2026, she led National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, playing a key role in the recovery of the species since 2012 and helping to reverse the endangered population’s decline.

During her 13+ years with the program–the last seven as its lead–she and her collaborators took the population from about 1,000 to 1,600 and counting.

Lino grew up in Maryland and first discovered her love of wildlife and marine ecosystems during trips to the Chesapeake Bay. She attended college at University of North Carolina Wilmington and later received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.

Along the way she worked on projects related to Southern Right Whales in Argentina, marine mammals in the Bay Area, and even spent a whole summer working with SeaDoc on Orcas Island in 2009.

Lino lends SeaDoc not only her vast scientific expertise and experience, but also her skills in management, communication, and building strong coalitions.

As a Translational Scientist with SeaDoc, her work is wide-ranging with an eye toward the health of the ecosystem.