Emily Utset

Emily is a Wild Animal Keeper at the Central Park Zoo where she works with penguins, pinnipeds, reptiles, hoof stock, waterfowl, and more. In the future, Emily hopes to re-enter the field of research and become a conservation biologist. She is passionate about island ecology and marine conservation in the Caribbean.

Emily is the daughter of two Cuban immigrants. She graduated from high school in Miami and attended Columbia University, graduating in 2019. While in college, Emily completed both paid and unpaid research assistantships at Columbia University in the Lamont-Doherty Research Center between 2016 and 2019. She also completed a summer research position at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 2018, completing a thesis for her degree. Emily completed an unpaid internship at the New York Aquarium in 2019 and worked as a seasonal paid animal keeper at the Miami Seaquarium in the same year before beginning her current position at the Central Park Zoo.

Emily’s favorite part of her job is how varied it is and that every day is different. Her favorite animal is Hawaiian monk seals, she loves pinnipeds but also loves the tropics, so they are the perfect compromise and she would love to work with them one day. Emily is a lesbian and would love to be available to any LGBTQ members who are looking for mentorship.