P. Sean McDonald

P. Sean McDonald serves as a Lecturer in Environmental Studies at the University of Washington's College of the Environment, with a research appointment in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Based in Wallace Hall 147, he teaches multiple courses including ENVIR 387: Environmental Communication Seminar, ENVIR 400: Professional Environmental Communication, and the Environmental Studies Capstone sequence (ENVIR 490-492).

Dr. McDonald earned his B.S. in Biology with Marine Emphasis from Western Washington University in 1997 and completed his Ph.D. in Aquatic & Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington in 2006. His teaching focuses on preparing students for careers in environmentally related fields by helping them synthesize academic coursework with professional internship experiences.

His research program applies ecological principles to problems involving the exploitation, cultivation, and conservation of aquatic species in changing environments, with particular emphasis on individual and community responses to ecosystem changes including climate change, ocean acidification, and invasive species. He has studied invasive European green crab since 1998 and serves as the UW faculty PI for the WSG Crab Team program monitoring this species in the Pacific Northwest. McDonald frequently collaborates with groups like Cascadia Climate Action to organize Climate Science on Tap events in Seattle, reflecting his commitment to environmental communication and public engagement with science.

McDonald directs the internship activities and senior research projects for Environmental Studies students, assisting each in developing independent scholarly work that integrates with their hands-on experiences. His research methodology employs multiple approaches including experimental work, modeling, field observations, and interdisciplinary collaboration, primarily focused on nearshore marine habitats affected by various natural and human-derived pressures.