MBARI's diverse staff brings a wide range of expertise in oceanography and engineering to its many research projects. A core group of engineers and scientists set the direction for MBARI's research initiatives. These principal investigators also serve as mentors to postdoctoral research fellows and research specialists.
Jim Barry, Benthic Ecologist
Benthic (seafloor) ecology, both temperate and polar, deep-sea communities
James Bellingham,
Chief Technologist
Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology, ocean observatories,
oceanographic sampling strategies
Jim Birch, Instrumentation Group Leader
Bioengineering, autonomous instrumentation, ocean molecular biology applications, systems integration
Peter Brewer, Ocean Chemist
Geochemistry, hydrates, marine and aquatic chemistry, global carbon-dioxide,
biogeochemical cycles, environmental science
David Caress, Software Engineer
Seafloor mapping and imaging, sonar data processing, autonomous vehicles, marine geophysics
Francisco Chavez, Biological
Oceanographer
Biological oceanography, primary productivity, El Niño, effects of climate variability on
ocean productivity, seasonal and interannual variability in the California Current System,
harmful algal blooms
David Clague, Geologist
Volcanology, volcanic hazards, submarine volcanism, and hydrothermal systems
Duane Edgington, Software Engineering Group Leader
Software engineering, ocean observatory software systems, machine vision technology, automated analysis of underwater images and video, machine learning systems, embedded software systems
Steve Haddock,
Marine Biologist
Bioluminescence (molecular to oceanographic scales) and gelatinous
zooplankton of the deep-sea and open ocean
Andrew Hamilton, Systems Engineer
EOM mooring systems, environmental energy scavenging, fluid dynamics, marine hydrodynamics
Ken Johnson, Chemist
Chemistry, nutrient sensors, role of iron and other micronutrients in oceanic primary
production
William J. Kirkwood,Senior Research & Development Engineer
Charles Paull, Geologist
Fluxes of fluids and gases through continental margins, gas hydrates
Kanna Rajan, Principal Researcher in Autonomy
Artificial intelligence planning and execution, autonomy, agent architectures, autonomous systems and automated reasoning, machine learning and discovery
Bruce Robison, Midwater Ecologist
Midwater ecology, undersea technology, deep-water biology, biology and ecology of Monterey
Canyon, oceanic biodiversity, oceanographic research vessels
Chris Scholin, Molecular
Biologist
Molecular probes, ecogenomic sensors, harmful algal blooms, toxic algae
Alana Sherman, Electrical Engineer
Scientific instrumentation, autonomous vehicles, seafloor imaging systems
Ken Smith, Marine Ecologist
Deep-sea community ecology, climate change and the deep-ocean carbon cycle, ecology of Antarctic ecosystems, deep-ocean technology
Robert Vrijenhoek,
Evolutionary Biologist
Evolutionary genetics, marine biology, conservation; research studies focused on the
ecological and evolutionary consequences of genetic diversity in animals
Alexandra Worden,
Molecular Microbial Ecologist
Carbon cycling, trophic interactions, genomic, metagenomics and transcriptomic approaches to microbial oceanography