I work as a Research Specialist in the Research and Development Division of MBARI. Bruce Robison, Kim Reisenbichler and I form the core of our lab-group. We study the properties and organisms of the ocean’s largest habitat, the midwater. We are learning more about the ecology of midwater organisms; their abundance and seasonal patterns, depth ranges and who eats whom. It’s truly amazing to watch mesopelagic animals with our HD (high definition) camera; animals that once would have come up as glop in a net can be seen to have delicate structure and complex behavior (e.g., squid inking or changing color, fish eyes that rotate to keep prey in sight, an amphipod carving up a pyrosome to make a home).

Personally, I am very interested in education as well as research. In my spare time I’ve been lucky enough to teach a bit at Monterey peninsula College (Environmental Science) and I look forward to the open houses and public events we host here at MBARI. In the less-recent past I have worked as the diving director and as an educator for the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI), where I cut my diving teeth. Although we do most of our work with ROV’s (remotely operated vehicles) like the Ventana and Tiburon, I still enjoy scuba diving – there is no substitute for making observations on critters first-hand where possible and our lab-group does use blue water diving techniques to collect animals as well (usually inspired by Steve Haddock, with whom we are privileged to work from time to time).

Educational Background:

  • BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (Go ‘Cats!!) – 1988
  • MS in Marine and Estuarine Science, Western Washington University – 1995