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MBARI welcomes new president and CEO Antje Boetius

New President and CEO Antje Boetius brings extensive experience in deep-sea and polar biology and will guide MBARI into an exciting new chapter in its work to advance marine science and engineering. Image: Lori Eanes © 2025 MBARI

MBARI welcomes new president and CEO Antje Boetius

World-renowned polar and deep-sea researcher will represent MBARI at the upcoming 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference.

Why It Matters

Collaboration is essential to addressing the threats facing marine life and ecosystems. Our incoming President and CEO Antje Boetius will facilitate new partnerships to deploy MBARI’s advanced technology across the globe.

MBARI is pleased to announce Antje Boetius as the institute’s president and CEO. A world-renowned polar and deep-sea researcher, Boetius will lead MBARI into an exciting new chapter in its work to develop and deploy innovative technology to understand our changing ocean.

MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius sits at a high coffee table. She has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a bright turquoise shirt, navy blue pants, and a silver metal bracelet. She is sitting on a gray chair and leaning on a gray coffee table with two science textbooks. In the background are an MBARI research building, the beach, and blue sky.
Previously director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, new MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius has extensive expertise in applying advanced technology to study ocean health. Image: Lori Eanes © 2025 MBARI

“All life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean. Yet, it’s surprising how little we know about the immense network of life in our seas. MBARI’s cutting-edge technology plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the ocean, delivering a stream of surprising discoveries to inform ocean solutions. I’m excited to expand MBARI’s collaborations across the U.S. and around the world, sharing our innovations and the immense expertise of our team to help deepen our connections to the ocean,” said Boetius.

Prior to joining MBARI, Boetius served as the director of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, since 2017. She has led or participated in more than 50 scientific expeditions and coordinated multiple national and international research programs to better understand marine life and biogeochemical processes in polar ecosystems.

“Antje Boetius is a visionary leader whose deep scientific expertise and global perspective make her uniquely qualified to guide MBARI into its next chapter. At a time when the health of our ocean is more critical than ever, Antje’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing MBARI’s mission to explore and understand the ocean through technology and innovation. We’re thrilled to welcome her as president and CEO and look forward to the new ocean discoveries she and the MBARI team will help us reach,” said Julie Packard, chair of the MBARI Board of Directors.

Boetius takes the helm of MBARI as the institute expands its capacity for ocean exploration, science, and engineering. She succeeds Chris Scholin, who served as MBARI’s president and CEO for the past 16 years. Scholin will transition to a senior scientist role at MBARI, focusing on further advances with the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP). Functioning as a “lab in a can,” this innovative instrument has dramatically improved efforts to observe, understand, and respond to changes in aquatic ecosystems. 

MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius (left), MBARI Board Chair Julie Packard (center), and outgoing MBARI President and CEO Chris Scholin (right) stand in front of the research vessel David Packard for the ship’s commemoration ceremony. They are holding an orange life ring that reads David Packard and Moss Landing in black capital letters. They are standing outdoors on MBARI’s dock on a sunny afternoon with the blue bow of a research ship with the name David Packard in white capital letters. In the background is Moss Landing harbor.
On Tuesday, June 3, MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius (left) celebrated the commemoration of the institute’s new flagship research vessel, the David Packard, alongside Outgoing President and CEO Chris Scholin (right) and Julie Packard, chair of MBARI’s Board of Directors (center). Image: © Monterey Bay Aquarium

“Under Chris Scholin’s leadership, MBARI has made incredible contributions to our knowledge about the ocean,” said Boetius, who joined Scholin and Julie Packard yesterday to commemorate MBARI’s new flagship research vessel, the David Packard. MBARI will begin science missions aboard this state-of-the-art ship later this year. “I look forward to working with Chris to find new ways to use technology to improve our presence at sea and share MBARI’s innovations with the entire ocean community.”

Next week, Boetius and Scholin will attend the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, alongside Julie Packard and a delegation from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, MBARI’s education and conservation partner. 

“I’m excited to join ocean leaders from around the world at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. This is a pivotal moment to forge new partnerships and accelerate our shared commitment to explore and protect our ocean,” said Boetius. “I look forward to sharing some of MBARI’s fascinating discoveries with conference delegates and highlighting our continued commitment to advancing marine science and engineering.”


For additional information or images relating to this article, please email pressroom@mbari.org.