Dr. Jennifer MacKinnon
Associate Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Jen is a physical oceanographer who specializes in small-scale processes in the ocean, primarily internal waves and turbulence. She spends part of her time at sea, studying turbulent mixing in the ocean at particular key-stone locations, and the effect it has on the distribution of heat and biologically essential nutrients in the ocean. She also leads a Climate Process Team that is trying to put together results from many such fieldwork experiments to help turn these science insights into better parameterizations that will improve the accuracy of Climate forecast models. When not coordinating measurements in the field, Jen spends her time juggling the equally complicated joy of caring for two small children with her fellow-oceanographer husband.
Dr. Matthew Alford
Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Matthew is a seagoing physical oceanographer and the head of the Wave Chasers group. He employs specialized instruments to better describe and understand ocean processes that occur on scales smaller than 10 kilometers however, he is also interested in how these smaller scale physics influence both coastal processes and the larger-scale circulation.
In 2002 Matthew received the Office of Naval Research’s prestigious Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award, and in 2009 received the University of Washington College of Fishery and Ocean Sciences’ Distinguished Research Award. Find out more about Matthew’s work.
Dr. John Mickett
Senior Oceanographer, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), University of Washington
John is a sea-going physical oceanographer with a growing accumulation of technical and field experience, He has participated in or led more than 40 oceanographic research cruises over the past 14 years with more than 500 at-sea days. Presently John is a Senior Oceanographer at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), University of Washington where he is a principal investigator on a number of research projects. John leads a team of scientists and engineers who design, build, maintain and analyze the data from 8 coastal real-time research moorings. His research interests include internal wave, upper-ocean and coastal & estuarine dynamics and processes, instrument development, and research mooring technology. In addition to John’s position at APL, he is a happy father and husband.
Dr. Philippe Odier
Professor, Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon
Philippe Odier is a professor at the Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France, since 1998. After a Ph-D in experimental particle physics done at CERN, he turned to experimental geophysical fluid dynamics. During about 15 years, he worked mainly to understand the physical mechanisms involved in the dynamo effect, responsible for the magnetic field of planets and the stars. He was part of the team that succeeded in evidencing experimentally the first reversing dynamo, similar to the Earth dynamo.
Then, he became interested in the sources of mixing in the ocean. During a 2 year visit at Los Alamos National laboratory, in 2005-2007 in the team of Robert Ecke, he set-up an experiment to study how gravity currents can entrain ambient fluid. Back in Lyon, he focussed on how internal gravity waves, propagating in continuously stratified media, can produce mixing in the fluid where they propagate. In particular, he performed an extensive study of the Parametric Subharmonic Instability, a non-linear process by which internal waves transfer energy to smaller scales, thus enhancing mixing. More recently, he acquired a 2-meter turntable to add the rotational component to his studies, in order to better simulate geophysical configurations.
Amy Waterhouse
Project Scientist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Amy Waterhouse is a physical oceanographer working at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She joined Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2011 as a post-doctoral
researcher, working with Dr. Jennifer MacKinnon as part of the Climate Process Team assembled to further understand global patterns of mixing due to internal waves. Amy received her PhD from the University of Florida in 2010 where she studied coastal physical oceanography. Combining both her pre- and post-doctorate research interests, Amy is interested in untangling how mixing by small-scale processes affects both regional and global patterns of mixing. As a sea-going oceanographer, she has actively participated in field programs ranging from projects off the California coast, the Bay of Bengal, the equatorial Pacific and now to the Arctic.
Find out more about Amy.
Gunnar Voet
Assistant Project Scientist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Gunnar Voet received his PhD in Physical Oceanography at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where he studied the outflow of cold and dense bottom waters from the Nordic Seas into the North Atlantic. For his post-doc at the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle Gunnar stuck with cold abyssal waters, however, this time venturing to the equatorial region north of Samoa where dense waters of Antarctic and Arctic origin pass through the Samoan Passage before flowing into the North Pacific. After recently moving to Scripps for a position as Assistant Project Scientist Gunnar is still working on the Samoan Passage project, but also eager to get back to the cold Arctic climate for this research cruise. Find out more about Gunnar.
Tom Peacock
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT
Tom is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work focuses on physical oceanography and environmental flows, and is more generally grounded in geophysically motivated problems in fluid mechanics. At MIT he runs the Environmental Dynamics Lab (ENDLab), whose team members conduct a combination of theory, laboratory experiments and field studies, currently with a focus on internal wave dynamics in the ocean and advanced methods for understanding the underlying structures of ocean transport.
Tom is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award in Physical Oceanography and when not pursuing scientific research he likes to cycle, cross-country ski and travel to far-flung corners of the globe (although this has become a little tougher thanks to a delightful fourteen month old daughter).
Sam Fletcher
Oceanographic technician, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Sam Fletcher of Sequim, WA, carries on a generation-old tradition of excellence in oceanographic exploration. Born to a former NOAA commander, dive master, and oceanographic technician, the intricate skills of sea-going specialists manifested in his persona from a young age and flourished during his undergraduate education in Oceanography at the University of Washington. There, he learned the art of mooring deployment with PIs Matthew Alford and John Mickett. Soon proven to be an invaluable asset, he relocated to San Diego with Matthew one year ago to continue on as a technician at Scripps. Professionally an expert of fastening mooring elements together at sea-level, in his free time Sam enjoys fastening himself to carabiners, cams, and nuts and propelling himself up sheer rock faces to heights unknown. He is also a master crafter of sriracha-based cuisine, holds the title of TTIDE2015 Cribbage Champion, and is a certified cultivator of resplendent facial hair.
Marion Alberty
PhD Candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Marion is a grad student in physical oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is studying mixing and transformation of water masses. Her current work is based on observation in the equatorial west Pacific, a region with strong influence on global climate through coupled ocean-atmospheric dynamics such at El Nino and the Madden Julian Oscillation.Marion’s interest in climate-relevant water mass modification and vertical heat fluxes brought her to the ArcticMix team.
When not working on here thesis, Marion enjoys doing yoga, reading, swimming and seeing Shakespeare plays.
Gregory Wagner
PhD Candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Gregory Wagner is a fluid dynamicist and physical oceanographer. Originally from Massachusetts, he got a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan before continuing west to San Diego, where he’s getting a PhD from UCSD. He works on the theory of subsurface oceanic internal waves: massive, slow waves that propagate at all depths and latitudes of the ocean. In particular he focuses on how these waves are distorted, refracted, and change the course of shifting ocean currents. All his work so far is with computers or pencil and paper, which means he’s excited about a continuous month of September storms, waves, and ice in the Arctic Ocean.
Maddie Hamann
PhD Candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Maddie Hamann is beginning her third year as a graduate student in physical oceanography at Scripps. Using observations of the ocean similar to that which will be collected in ArcticMix, she studies how internal waves and their associated turbulence transform as they move across the relatively shallow continental shelf. She has been to sea several times during her graduate career, but is excited to work with familiar instruments in the harsh, unfamiliar Arctic environment. She earned her bachelors degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and hopes that her experience with perpetual snow cover and perma-cloud there will prepare her for the sub-zero summer ahead.
Elizabeth “Effie” Fine
PhD Candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Algot Peterson
PhD student, University in Bergen
Algot is a physical oceanographer from Norway, where he is currently a PhD student at the University in Bergen. His research topic is internal waves and mixing processes in the marginal ice zone, particularly on and near the Yermak plateau north of Svalbard, where inflowing warm Atlantic water threatens the thinning sea ice. Apart from oceanography, Algot enjoy photography, climbing, hiking, skiing and other outdoorsy activities.
Olavo Badaró Marques
PhD Candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Faith Haney
Transect Films
Faith spent her early years as a field archaeologist, scientific illustrator and exhibit designer with a passion for interpretation and outreach. Transitioning solely to video production after an inspiring stint working in television production at National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Faith creates videos to promote a better understanding of science, culture, and the environment. Through her business, Transect Films, she specializes in on-location filming and purpose-driven video production with projects ranging from promo pieces for visual artists, to commercials promoting sustainable businesses, to visually compelling outreach videos for nonprofits. When not in the editing suite or behind the lens, Faith teaches videography to up-and-coming creatives at Seattle Central College’s Creative Academy and enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband and daughter.
Have a good look at Faith’s full portfolio.
Dr. Thomas Moore
Thomas is an engineer and oceanographer who has more recently applied his skills to ocean advocacy and political communication. Thomas has been a media and marine policy advisor in the Australian Senate. He also shares a studio space in Hobart, Tasmania where he pursues photography and film.