Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

James G. Bellingham
Chief Technologist

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
7700 Sandholdt Road
Moss Landing, CA 95039
email: jgb@mbari.org

Photo by Greg Pio

Education:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D., Physics Sept 1988
Massachusetts Institute of Technology S.M., Physics Sept 1984
Massachusetts Institute of Technology S.B., Physics Sept 1984

Professional Biography:

James G. Bellingham is the Chief Technologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. His personal research activity revolves around the development and use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). In the process of developing these vehicles, he spent considerable time at sea, leading over 20 AUV expeditions. Dr. Bellingham leads the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) program at MBARI, which uses fleets of autonomous vehicles to adapt to and observe rapidly changing oceanographic processes. 

  • Chief Technologist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, March 2006 to present.
  • Director of Engineering, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 1998 to March 2006..
  • Founded the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Laboratory at MIT and ran it from 1989 to 2000.

    • Other activity includes:

  • Co-founder of Bluefin Robotics Corporation in 1997, a leading manufacturer of AUVs for the military, commercial, and scientific markets. Bluefin was purchased by Battelle Memorial Corporation in 2005.
  • Board of Directors, Bluefin Robotics, 1997-2005.
  • Strategic Advisory Group, Battelle Memorial Corporation, November 2005 to present.

    • Perspectives:

    “New Windows in the Ocean,” Bellingham, J. G., “New Windows in the Ocean: Next Generation Ocean Observing Systems,” Testimony to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Southwest Regional Meeting, April 19, 2002.
    Technology overview from ORION Report, (Note: this is chapter 5 of an 11MB PDF). 

    Cruises and Field Operations with AUVs:

    Monterey Bay 2006 Field Program July-August 2006

    AOSN 2003 Field Program in Monterey Bay (Experiment Lead)

    		 July-Sept. 2003
    USCGC Healey, ArcticOcean (Chief Scientist) Oct- Nov 2001
    POINT SUR, MUSE 2000, Monterey Bay(Chief Scientist) Sept 2000
    McARTHUR, Monterey Bay (Chief Scientist) Jan 2000

    SITE 99, Monterey Bay (Experiment Lead)

    		 Aug 1999
    OCEANUS, Massachusetts Bay, (Chief Scientist) Sept 1998
    ALLIANCE, Mediterranean Sea, GOATS ‘98 May-June 1998
    KNORR, Labrador Sea, (Chief Scientist, Expedition Lead) Jan – Feb 1998
    OCEANUS, Sargasso Sea, (Chief Scientist) Oct 1997
    CAPE HATTERAS, Cape Cod Bay, (Chief Scientist) May 1997
    TANEKAHA, Kaikoura Canyon, (Chief Scientist, AUV Ops) Feb 1997
    DIANE G, Cape Cod Bay, (Chief Scientist) Nov 1996
    ROSS BAY, Haro Strait, (Chief Scientist, AUV Ops) Jun - Jul 1996
    DIANE G, Buzzards Bay, (Chief Scientist) Mar - Apr 1996
    FERREL, Stellwagen Bank, (Co-Chief Scientist) Oct 1995
    DISCOVERER, Juan de Fuca Ridge, Jun 1995
    WEATHERBIRD, Bermuda, (Chief Scientist) May 1995

    Joint operations with FAU, Florida,

    		 Jan 1995
    DISCOVERER, Juan de Fuca Ridge, Jul 1994
    Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative (SIMI), Beaufort Sea, Apr 1994
    Under-ice tests, Lake Winnipesaukee, Feb - Mar 1994
    Nathaniel B. Palmer, Bellingshausen Sea, Dec 1992 - Jan 1993

    Outside Professional Service:

    Dr. Bellingham has served as committee member for the National Academies on the “Illuminating the Hidden Planet” study, the Arctic Observing Network study, and the ongoing Naval Studies Board Committee for Distributed Systems. 

    Jim has served on steering committees for a number of NSF sponsored ocean observatory workshops, including SCOTS, RECONN, ORION, and Sensors.

    He served six years on the Deep Submergence Science Committee (DeSSC) which is the community advisory group for the National Deep Submergence Facility (operators of ALVIN and JASON II). 

    Dr. Bellingham has organized and participated in many community workshops.

    Honors and Awards:

  • Lockheed Martin Award for Ocean Science and Engineering, November 2004.
  • Steinbach Visiting Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, August 2004.
    •
  • MIT, Fourteenth Robert Bruce Wallace Lecture, November 7, 1996, "Observing the Ocean"
  • Antarctica Service Medal of the United States of America: Awarded by NSF, August 1993.
  • Antarctica Service Medal: Awarded by Department of the Navy, August 24, 1993.
  • R&D 100 Award: Awarded to MIT for commercialization effort of Ph.D. thesis, 1992.

    • Some Relevant Media Coverage:

    Carl Posey, “Robots of the Deep Blue Yonder,” Popular Science, February, 2003.
    Robert Kunzig, “A thousand diving robots,” Discover, April, 1996.
    JR Fricke, “Down to the Sea in Robots,” Technology Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology October 1994.

    Current Organization Membership:

    American Association for the Advancement of Science
    American Geophysical Union
    Marine Technology Society


    Last updated: Feb. 05, 2009