MBARI has named Lisa Levin—distinguished professor emerita at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego—the 2026 David Packard Distinguished Lecturer. This award celebrates Levin’s extensive contributions to seafloor ecology, especially her work to advance deep-sea science and policy.

“Lisa Levin has dedicated decades to studying marine life at the seafloor, from coastal wetlands to the deep sea. Her work studying how marine life and human activities interact on continental margins is essential as society considers its diverse roles in the future of the ocean. Her bold vision to transform knowledge and stewardship of the ocean embodies the same spirit our founder, David Packard, had when he established MBARI nearly 40 years ago,” said MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius, who was recognized with the David Packard Distinguished Lecture award herself in 2014.

Established in 2000, the David Packard Distinguished Lecture series brings global leaders in ocean science and engineering to MBARI to share exciting developments in ocean research and forge closer ties with our peers.

Levin is a marine ecologist who studies seafloor ecosystems, from coastal continental margins to the deep sea. She is an internationally renowned leader in biodiversity and ocean science. She has authored more than 350 scientific publications, participated in more than 50 oceanographic expeditions, and logged approximately 70 submersible dives.

A passionate advocate for advancing science to inform marine policy, especially for deep-sea ecosystems, Levin serves on multiple scientific advisory committees.

She is the co-founder of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), integrating science, technology, policy, and economics to advise on ecosystem-based management of deep-sea resources and develop strategies for maintaining the integrity of deep-sea ecosystems within and beyond national jurisdictions. She also helped establish and continues to work with the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy (DOOS), a UN Decade of Ocean Science program that seeks to coordinate the ocean-observing community toward collective solution-based science for the deep sea.

Levin accepted the award on October 5, delivering a lecture at MBARI titled “Perspectives on Deep Continental Margin Biodiversity: Past, Present, and Pending” that explored how scientific understanding of deep-sea biodiversity has evolved with the advent of new exploration technologies and the pressing societal need for data to inform governance of ocean resources.

Following her lecture, Levin spent two days meeting with MBARI scientists and engineers to identify new opportunities for collaboration. 

The David Packard Distinguished Lecture award honors MBARI’s founder, the late Silicon Valley innovator and philanthropist David Packard. The award and lecture series recognize outstanding achievements and leadership in the fields of marine science and engineering. 

Candidates are nominated by MBARI staff, and the Distinguished Lecturer is then elected by a vote from MBARI’s principal scientists and engineers.

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