Steven (Steve) is a ROPOS ROV Technician with Sierra Offshore Services. A part of the ROPOS team since 2003, Steve has acted as a pilot, LARS crane operator, and robotic manipulator operator and technician. He will be fulfilling all three of these roles during the cruise. Steve brings extensive experience with ROVs and mechanical systems … Continued
Lucy has a B.A. in History (2009) and a B.Sc.(Hons) in Microbiology (2010) from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her Honours thesis focused on comparing the ecophysiology of rock-living bacteria and fungi from the Antarctic Dry Valleys to similar species from the foothills of the Southern Alps in New Zealand. Between her … Continued
Giora graduated from Amherst College with a chemistry major, but was lured to the earth sciences by the prospects of using chemistry to study deep-sea hydrothermal vents. He got his masters and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in chemical oceanography, studying the connections between biology, geology, and chemistry at deep-sea hot vents. Beginning in … Continued
Kevin is with the University of Washington/Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans and is now on his 72nd research cruise over the last 35 years. He will be analyzing vent fluids for sulfide, ammonium, and silica onboard, and then later determining trace elements back at the lab. He was aboard the … Continued
Dr. Caroline Fortunato is a microbial ecologist and postdoctoral scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Her research focuses on the phylogenetic and functional diversity of microbial communities from gradient-driven ecosystems, including coastal oceans and the deep sea. Caroline received her Ph.D. in 2012 from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental … Continued
Josh is the morning shift supervisor for this cruise. A contractor with the ROPOS team since 2011, Josh has filled the roles of navigator, ROV pilot, and shift supervisor. With over 10 years of experience with a variety of ROV operations, Josh has piloted 5 different inspection class and 4 different work class ROV systems. … Continued
Peter is a Mechanical ROV Technician with Highland Technologies/Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility. He will provide technical support of the hydraulic and mechanical systems on ROPOS, and he will act as a pilot and manipulator operator. He will also provide integration support for mechanical aspects of the science equipment being installed on ROPOS. Peter has been … Continued
Dr. Julie Huber is a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). She studies microbial life in deep-sea crustal ocean habitats. These microbes provide critical ecosystem services such as primary production to sustain deep-sea food webs, nutrient and element recycling, carbon sequestration, and symbiotic relationships with diverse animals. In her research, she unravels the mystery of what … Continued
Andy Robertson is the video communications specialist with Ocean Networks Canada. During both legs of this expedition Andy will be producing informational videos, photographing daily activities, and facilitating ship to shore communications and social media outreach. As part of a larger documentary project, he will also be conducting in-depth interviews with researchers and crew to … Continued
Rénald Belley is a PhD candidate in Marine Biology at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and he is working with the Canadian Healthy Ocean Network. He is studying the small animals living within and on the muddy seafloor, from 100 to 2,500 meters below the surface of the ocean. He wants to … Continued
