About Us

Our lab was founded by Dr. Peter Girguis, who joined the Harvard University faculty in 2005. 

He was born to immigrants who came to the U.S.A. in search of equal opportunities and social freedom. He grew up in Downey, a aerospace-centric town in southeast Los Angeles that was undergoing rapid demographic changes throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He saw how a shared goal, in this case the ongoing space race with the Soviet Union, can be a unifying force that puts everyone’s skills to use and helps overcome social, cultural, and ethnic tensions.

Our lab works to advance our understanding of the ocean by tackling long-standing questions in marine science and by building a community of scholars who are committed to fostering a culture of scientific excellence and professionalism. To us, professionalism means supporting scholars at different career stages and from various walks of life, providing opportunities for anyone interested in marine science to contribute in a manner that leverages their strengths, and to uphold the highest standards of scientific rigor. Consistent with federal law (title VII), our team does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Moreover, we have found that scientific insights (as well as subsequent commercial opportunities) are best served by engaging the broadest practical community of stakeholders who bring a diversity of ideas and perspectives.

Who We Are

Our science team members hail from all walks of life and bring an extraordinary set of scientific and technical skills, as well as professional, social, and cultural perspectives, to the lab. This breadth and depth of expertise and life experiences is responsible for the success of our research efforts.  

We further believe that all people who contribute to the research, educational, and outreach activities in our lab including high school students and teachers, ship’s crew and vehicle pilots, shop engineers and technicians, as well as the building’s custodial and maintenance staff, are part of our team.

We’ve created this photo gallery to highlight some of the extraordinary people we’ve had the privilege of working with and see how they bring their respective talents to bear on our science mission in the lab and on the ship.