Professor of Biology
Professor in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
- For my work, I go on research cruises around the world, where we go down in deep-sea submarines to study bioluminescence, vision, light, and camouflage in the deep-sea.
- The most recent cruise I ran in 2019 captured the first ever footage of a giant squid in US waters. Because of this research, I have consulted for the magic treehouse kids book series, the Pixar Movie "Finding Nemo", and various government agencies.
- I was originally trained in math, physics, art, and modern dance, and was a carpenter, kindergarten teacher, and a programmer for the very first Macs before going to Biology graduate school.
- I'm also interested in outreach and have written two books on light and vision, and am writing a third on ocean life and the people who study it.
- I am the immigrant child of war refugees, and am married to another immigrant who is also an immigration attorney, so I care deeply about immigrant and refugee issues.
- My wife and I live on a 25 acre horse farm half an hour west of campus, where I spent the summer painting our barns, clearing pastures, cutting up trees, and running our dog, Bonnie.
- My daughter Zoe is a junior at UC Boulder, which has caused me to see undergraduate concerns in a new light.