PROJECT LEADER, BEYOND THE REEF

Aiara is a passionate educator who loves to share her fascination about the ocean. Her preferred “office” is below the surface, and on days off she likes to ride waves.

She holds a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and has background in marine ecology, conservation, and management of research expeditions to remote areas. Aiara has worked in the ecotourism sector for 7+ years, and as a dive instructor, she is committed to provide meaningful underwater experiences leading to ocean awareness.

After volunteering in several marine research projects in Brazil and contributing for the establishment of a MPA in her hometown, she moved abroad seeking to further her career and explore the underwater world beyond the boundaries. For the past years she has worked for NGOs in the Caribbean while still collaborating with research groups back home. She has also spent a year in Thailand, where she fell in love with their culture, and has considerably expanded her knowledge and experience on ocean matters.

It is part of Aiara’s mission to exchange knowledge with the others and inspire people to protect the marine environment, always open to learning and respectful with different backgrounds and cultures. She is extremely honored to be part of SWMS board and excited for all the good things we will achieve together!

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MCMINN ENDOWED CHAIR, EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKLEY

Bethanie Edwards is a professor at UC-Berkeley and a sea-going oceanographer who hails from rural Arkansas. She is deeply interested in how marine microbes interact with one another, the chemical language that they use to do so, and the impact this has on ocean chemistry and climate. Dr. Edwards’ expertise is in lipidomics, which allows her to listen in on microbial conversations and gain insight into the complex web of interactions by measuring lipid biomarkers. The Edwards lab is integrating across ‘omic platforms pairing lipidomics with metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to tell biogeochemical stories about phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacterial, and viral interactions on multiple time-scales. 

The Edwards lab is also interested in improving lipidome annotation pipelines to suit the needs of microbial oceanographers. As one of the inaugural SWMS Steering Committee Members and a woman of color, Dr. Edwards is an advocate for intersectionality in STEM and decolonizing science.

SENIOR SCIENTIST, BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Heidi Sosik is a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she has been on the faculty and staff since 1994, and currently holds the Stanley W. Watson Chair for Excellence in Oceanography. A biological oceanographer and inventor, Sosik and her co-workers have developed automated underwater analyzers that dramatically enhance scientists’ and resource managers’ ability to study microscopic organisms that fuel ocean food chains, interact with Earth’s climate, and sometimes produce harmful algal blooms that threaten ecosystem and human health.

Sosik’s research and leadership have been recognized through numerous honors and awards including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; The Arons Award for Excellence in Teaching, Advising and Mentoring; a NOAA/ CINAR Fellowship in Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystem Science; a NASA Agency Honor Award for Group Achievement; a Senior Scientist Leadership Prize; and being named a Fellow of The Oceanography Society and a Sustaining Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. Sosik served as Chief Scientist of the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory for more than 14 years, and is currently lead investigator for the Northeast U.S. Shelf Long Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER) program and the Ocean Twilight Zone (OTZ) Audacious Project. She is active in many national and international roles including associate editor for leading journals and service on strategic planning and scientific steering committees.   

Sosik holds S.B. and S.M. Degrees in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego

SENIOR SCIENTIST (EMERITUS), DEPARTMENT OF MARINE CHEMISTRY & GEOCHEMISTRY, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Richard W. (Rick) Murray is Senior Scientist (emeritus) in Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, after serving for five years as Deputy Director and Vice President for Science & Engineering. He was a Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University (BU) from 1992 - 2019 and served as Director, Division of Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2015-2018. In addition to his NSF duties, he served as a Co-chair for the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, as part of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, during both the Obama and Trump administrations. He received his undergraduate degree at Hamilton College (1985), his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley (1991), and was a post-doctoral scholar at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (1991-1992).

A seagoing oceanographer, Murray’s research interests are in marine geochemistry, with an emphasis on climate change, volcanism, and tropical oceanographic processes, and in the chemistry of the subseafloor biosphere.

CEO AND OWNER, MCLANE RESEARCH LABORATORIES

McLane manufactures time-series oceanographic profilers, samplers, and flotation.  

Yuki is a proud native Cape Cod, Massachusettsan.  After graduate school, she spent the first half of her career in global finance and was based in Asia and Europe.  In addition to her academic articles, her social and market commentary of Japan appeared in the International Herald Tribune, Japan Times, and  other major publications and newswires.

In her second career, she took over McLane Research Laboratories, founded by her father, Dr. Susumu Honjo.

Under her leadership, the McLane team was awarded Massachusetts Exporter of the Year by the Small Business Association in 2017.   In her spare time, Yuki is an avid photographer, cat lover, and maker of miniature models.  As an Asian American woman, she volunteers on various DEI committees on both the national and local level.

RESEARCHER, NIGERIAN INSTITUTE FOR OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE RESEARCH

Ngozi M Oguguah is a sea-going Researcher with Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research in Lagos Nigeria believes in strategic partnership and collaborations.

She is a 2021 Beahrs Environmental Leadership fellow, 2014 Agricultural Women and Research Development fellow and a 2010 Norman E. Borlaug African Women in Science Fellow.

She has 14+ years’ experience conducting ground-breaking marine biology research while establishing diverse, motivated, top-tier teams. Industry trendsetter and leader with many academic publications, conference and seminar papers, as well as multiple recognitions and awards.

Environmental justice advocate spearheading public outreach projects and programs while continually uplifting vulnerable populations and communities.