Susanne Marczak

Susanne Marczak serves San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a Senior Research Coordinator in Recovery Ecology. Her role involves coordinating burrowing owl research and conservation efforts thorughout Southern California.

Susanne’s primary project focuses on the monitoring and research of the remaining burrowing owl breeding population in San Diego County, which we have been actively working with since 2013. As available grassland habitat for the species continues to shrink throughout the region, SDZWA and other agencies are making efforts to establish additional breeding nodes throughout the county. One of Susanne’s favorite aspects of her job (aside from all the baby owls she gets to see) is being able to witness the integration of our research to help directly inform conservation and adaptive management decisions for burrowing owls.

Susanne earned bachelor’s degrees in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since joining SDZWA in 2009, she has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of species, including giant pandas, kangaroo rats, pocket mice, and desert tortoises. Susanne credits her career in wildlife studies to her participation in an undergraduate field biology course, and seeks to encourage students and professionals in all fields to use their interests and skills to assist conservation efforts. Susanne is an active board member of both The Western Section and Southern California Chapter of The Wildlife Society.