Skip to main content

Your Life-Saving Gift Will Be Matched

Found with his flippers tucked tightly against his body, California sea lion Pockets looked like a sick child with a bellyache.

Pockets was battling a potentially fatal bacterial disease, leptospirosis. We've rescued nearly 500 sea lions affected by this year's intense outbreak.

With your matched gift, you’ll not only help provide the meals and advanced medical care needed to help a sea lion like Pockets recover, but also support our researchers in learning more about this disease.

Match my life-saving gift
California sea lion
Lian Hortensius

Lian Hortensius, M.S., M.A.

Director, Animal Data Science

Lian Hortensius joined The Marine Mammal Center in March 2021 as an Animal Program Data Scientist. In this role, she uses historical and current data to provide insight into the Center’s activities. Lian and her team manage the database used for animal-related data. The database has multiple purposes, including making it easier for the animal care team to do their job, meeting reporting requirements and managing research data.

Before joining the Center, Lian built strong data science products at a Fortune 500 company and worked as a business analyst in several industries, including Be the Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program.

Lian has a Master of Science in Statistics and a Master of Arts in Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, as well as a Master of Science in Neuropsychology from the University of Utrecht.

Lian lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, young daughter and dog. She loves reading, games, improv and theater.


Areas of Expertise

  • Data Analysis & Statistics
  • Programming
  • Project Management

Recent Publications 

{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/csl-on-a-rock-shutterstock-87-0-1270-992-1740414498.jpg","alt":"sea lion on rock","title":"Klebsiella pneumoniae in stranded california sea lions (Zalophus californianus) of central California between 2017-2022","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/klebsiella-pneumoniae-in-stranded-california-sea-lions-zalophus-californianus-of-central-california-between-2017-2022","label":"Research Paper"}
sea lion on rock
Research Paper

Klebsiella pneumoniae in stranded california sea lions (Zalophus californianus) of central California between 2017-2022

Read More 
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/csl-release-photo-by-brian-simuro-127-0-1270-992-1740515772.jpeg","alt":"three sea lions on the beach","title":"Evaluation of Two Serologic Tests for Rapid Detection of Anti-Leptospira Antibodies in California Sea Lions","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/evaluation-of-two-serologic-tests-for-rapid-detection-of-anti-leptospira-antibodies-in-california-sea-lions","label":"Research Paper"}
three sea lions on the beach
Research Paper

Evaluation of Two Serologic Tests for Rapid Detection of Anti-Leptospira Antibodies in California Sea Lions

Read More
See Full Staff