Tyler Smith, current Science Communications Intern, has led an itinerant life: journalism in the Midwest, academia in the Bayous of the Deep South, the nonprofit sector in the Sonoran Desert, and wine-making in the Pacific Northwest. Having made a full circuit around America, he’s back in the Midwest to pursue a Bachelor of Science in … Continued
Heidi Berkenbosch – PhD Candidate Heidi is a PhD candidate working jointly with GNS Science and the University of Tasmania. She studies the composition and formation of black smoker chimneys, particularly regarding their metal sources. Her last seagoing expedition to the Mariana arc was observing NW Rota 1 volcano in 2009. Heidi’s interests in chimneys … Continued
Verena Tunnicliffe is a marine biologist at University of Victoria in Canada where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Deep Ocean Research. She combines a drive for ocean exploration with a passion to understand the nature and functions of novel communities. A lifetime of ocean exploration has stretched from coral reefs to subsea volcanoes … Continued
Andra Bobbitt has participated in numerous research expeditions over the past 30+. Her work has involved processing acoustic navigation for camera systems/submarines/ROVs, collection and synthesis of multibeam bathymetry data, establishing an oceanographic geographic information system (GIS) for the NOAA EOI (formerly Vents) Program as well as serving as their Webmaster. She graduated in 1984 from the University … Continued
Christopher Zappa grew up north of Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Columbia University as an undergraduate and earned a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1992. It was there that he developed his strong interest in fluid dynamics. In 1992, he moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington and resided at the Applied … Continued
Andrew Cook joined Schmidt Ocean Institute in February 2026 as the Port Captain.
Nikolaos Doulis is the Director of Engineering at the Maritime Infrastructure Division at Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Debra joined SOI in October 2017 as the Operations Administrator, which includes supporting Cruise Planning and Crew Management. With over 20 years of experience as a business owner, Debra brings with her strong management / organizational skills. Debra was a crew member aboard the M/V Thea Foss based out of Seattle, Washington, as Purser, Medical … Continued
Lea Oeljeschlaeger is a Masters student of the research-oriented Master program “Marine Environmental Sciences“ at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. For her Environmental Science Research Project and her Master thesis, Lea is involved in the Research Group for Marine Geochemistry at the Institute for the Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) at the University of Oldenburg, … Continued
Sophia Brumer is a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. She joined the air-sea interaction group led by Dr. Christopher Zappa at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory after graduating from Southampton University with a MSci in Physical Oceanography in 2011. Her research revolves around boundary layer turbulence, surface waves … Continued
