TOS Council Election
How to Vote
The TOS Council election is being conducted electronically. All TOS members were sent an email message from The Oceanography Society containing a unique ballot link with a random, secret access key. If you are a TOS member and did not receive this message, please contact Jenny Ramarui, TOS Executive Director ([email protected] or 301-251-7708) to receive voting instructions.
All votes must be cast by 5:00 ET October 30.
The Candidates
Candidates have been identified for each of the positions available. Brief biographical sketches for each of the candidates appear below. Scroll down to view them all or click on a name to jump to a specific biographical sketch.
Applied Technology Councilor
Representing the applied ocean technology community including aspects such as technological innovation, ocean engineering, and private sector ocean services.
Representing the ocean chemistry community including disciplines such as marine chemistry, biogeochemistry, gas exchange, nutrient cycles, and ocean carbon chemistry.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Councilor
Applied Technology Councilor
John Jamieson
I am a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology at the University of Ottawa. My research bridges traditional geological studies with technology-focused ocean exploration. My primary scientific interests are the study of hydrothermal vents, geological mapping of the seafloor, and marine mineral resources. I am interested in the geological controls on the location, composition and rates of formation of hydrothermal vents, and how geological processes control the ecosystems that are supported by venting. My research approach is multi-disciplinary, including various types of mapping (multibeam, side-scan and synthetic aperture sonar), geophysical surveys (magnetics, gravity, self-potential), and various mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic analytical techniques. I use a wide variety of ocean exploration vehicles, including submersibles, ROVs, AUVs, and towed vehicles.
Much of my current work focuses on understanding the formation of and exploration for marine mineral resources, the potential environmental impacts associated with this activity, and the technological innovations required for low-impact exploration, extraction, and environmental monitoring. My goal is to provide robust scientific data and understanding of geological and technological aspects of deep-sea mining that will benefit all stakeholders related to this emerging industry.
My interest in joining The Oceanography Society Council as the Applied Technology Councilor is to promote the importance of ocean technology and the open sharing and promotion of technological innovation to protect the oceans and support the long-term sustainability of the Blue Economy for the global community. Deep-sea mining is a possible new activity in our ocean that has the potential to generate significant impact and is therefore an important topic for TOS. I hope to provide unbiased, science-based expertise on this topic to the Council and all members of TOS.
I obtained my B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Alberta, M.Sc. in Geochemistry from the University of Maryland, and Ph.D. in Marine Geology from the University of Ottawa. I completed a postdoc at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany, in 2015 before joining the Department of Earth Sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland as an Assistant Professor. I joined the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Ottawa in 2025.
Alana Sherman
Alana Sherman has been working as an Electrical Engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) since 2003. At MBARI, she has developed and deployed a wide variety of scientific instruments and underwater vehicles. These projects address questions that span nearly all disciplines of ocean sciences. Alana has developed multiple long-term time-lapse camera systems used to study benthic ecology in deep-sea coral and the abyssal plain communities. She was involved in several projects that utilize laser systems to make unique in situ measurements. These laser-based instruments have been used for particle image velocimetry, laser Raman spectrometry, and distributed acoustic sensing. Alana has also worked on two vehicle developments while at MBARI. The Benthic Rover, a seafloor-crawling platform, was successfully deployed autonomously for up to a year at a time for nearly ten years. The MiniROV, a fly-away remotely operated vehicle (ROV), was initially designed as a flexible and easy-to-transport ROV system for use in Arctic research and on other ships of opportunity. Over time, the MiniROV has been increasingly used for developing complex instruments and control algorithms. This platform can easily transition from the lab to a test tank to a research vessel with each successive stage of development. Alana has been a project manager, principal investigator, and/or technical lead on many of these developments. She has participated in dozens of research expeditions in the greater Monterey Bay area, off the Southern California coast, in the polar regions, and in the Sargasso Sea. In addition to her development work, Alana serves as MBARI’s Electrical Engineering Group Lead, supervising nine other engineers. Alana is eager to share her passion for the intersection of technology and ocean sciences through the role of Applied Technology Councilor. As part of this position, Alana is particularly interested in developing strategies to engage and encourage early-career scientist and engineers.Chemical Oceanography Councilor
Karen Casciotti
Karen Casciotti is a Professor in the Oceans Department at Stanford University. Casciotti is a chemical oceanographer whose research focuses on marine nitrogen cycling and trace gas production. Her group uses stable isotope measurements and microbial community analyses to study how microbial processes control the inventory of bioavailable nitrogen in the ocean and the production of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Casciotti is a long-time participant in the GEOTRACES program, serving as nitrate isotope intercalibration coordinator, a member of the Standards and Intercalibration Committee, a member of the US GEOTRACES Steering Committee, a member of the GP15 management team, and Co-chair of the International US GEOTRACES Steering Committee. Her scientific interest in investigating the distribution of nitrate, nitrite, and nitrous oxide isotopes meshes with GEOTRACES investigations of trace metal distributions and water mass tracers to better understand nitrogen cycling within a variety of oceanographic biomes and biogeochemical provinces.
In addition to her work in GEOTRACES, she has served the oceanographic community as Co-chair of the Ocean Sciences Meeting in 2016, as well as Vice-Chair (2015) and Chair (2017) of the GRC in Chemical Oceanography. At Stanford, Casciotti has served as an inaugural Associate Chair for Diversity and Inclusion in 2016-19, Faculty Director of the Earth Systems program in 2019–2023, Senate of the Academic Council in 2019–2023, and IDEAL Faculty Leader in 2022–23. In addition, she currently teaches courses in Marine Chemistry, Marine Stable Isotopes, and Tinkering in Marine Science. Casciotti would enjoy engaging broadly with the oceanographic community through the TOS Council and is committed to furthering the TOS Strategic Plan as the Chemical Oceanography Councilor.
Phoebe Lam
I am a Professor in the Ocean Sciences department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I received an S.B. degree in Environmental Engineering Science from MIT in 1997, an MA in Geosciences from Princeton University in 1999, and a PhD in Earth and Planetary Science from UC Berkeley in 2005. After 18 months as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, I joined the scientific staff in that department in 2007, where I stayed until moving to UC Santa Cruz in 2014.
I am a seagoing chemical oceanographer who specializes in the role that marine particles play in the biogeochemical cycling of elements in the ocean. My research initially focused on the role of particles in iron and carbon cycling, but my involvement in the GEOTRACES program has expanded my interests to a large fraction of the periodic table. I have been actively involved in the GEOTRACES program since the basin planning meetings in 2007, both as a participant and in leadership positions, including as member and then co-chair of the International GEOTRACES Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) from 2012 to 2020; as chair of the US GEOTRACES SSC since 2022; and as co-chief scientist on two US GEOTRACES section cruises (GP15 in the North Pacific in 2018 and GP17-ANT in the Amundsen sea in 2023–24). My recent stint as Chair of the 2025 Chemical Oceanography Gordon Research Conference was a delightful chance to think deeply about how to create a conference program that would sustain and nourish the chemical oceanography community, both intellectually and as a community, for people of all career stages and backgrounds.
While I have not been an active TOS member in the past, its mission and the goals outlined in the latest TOS Strategic Plan are aligned with my own goals as a scientist, mentor, educator, and university community member, and I would be glad to serve it as Chemical Oceanography Councilor.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Councilor
Julien Middleton
Hello, I’m Julien Middleton (they/them), a postdoc in the Marine Science Institute at the University of California – Santa Barbara. As an early career isotope geochemist, I am eager to support my peers in oceanography as we navigate the changing landscape of scientific exploration. As an academic, I am deeply motivated to work with my colleagues to create a safe, welcoming, and equitable environment that fosters support for students and scientists in underrepresented groups. I have been and continue to be fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with many others also dedicated to doggedly working toward these goals. While a graduate student, I participated as a founding member of WHOI’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which led to learning the joys and sorrows of making large-scale policy changes. Wanting to share the skills and advice myself and colleagues had learned, I created and ran a conference DEI workshop which focused on actionable advice for improving the equity and inclusivity of fieldwork for trans and gender-diverse scientists. Partnering with UNOLS, we brought the workshop to Ocean Sciences for a Town Hall to share the information with the international ocean community. As a postdoc, I joined the TOS JEDI Committee and helped publish a report on community perspectives on JEDI topics in Ocean Sciences in order to improve transparency around the shared experiences of our community members. I have been lucky to organize a small symposium, and worked hard with my international co-chair to successfully host a meeting which fully represented our scientific community. If asked to serve as the TOS JEDI Councilor, I will bring this track record of experience and do my best to continue similar endeavors through the TOS community.
Onjalé (Onji) Scott Price
Onjalé (Onji) Scott Price has a BS in Civil Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from Western Governors University.
Onjalé served in AmeriCorps doing STEAM activities with children at public libraries on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Continuing her love of service when moving to Massachusetts, Onjalé joined the Falmouth Affordable Housing Committee where she championed efforts to increase affordable housing options and access. After serving on the committee for several years she became the first Person of Color elected to Falmouth’s Select Board where she continued to champion affordable housing, the incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Town, and as Vice-Chair she led the annual Strategic Planning process. Onjalé also co-produced and co-hosted over 25 hour-long episodes of a local television show called “The Conversation,” facilitating open dialogue and education of the Cape Cod community on issues of racial justice.
Onjalé has also led diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts directly connected to ocean, marine and geoscience disciplines. For over a decade she was involved in The Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (PEP), an internship specifically designed for underrepresented undergraduate students to foster professional development and conduct research in Woods Hole. As PEP Director, Onjalé created PEP-II, a program based on the PEP model for postbaccalaureates, and is now the PI for ACES Woods Hole, also for postbaccalaureates. Onjalé was on the leadership team for URGE (Unlearing Racism in Geoscience), was the longstanding co-chair of the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee, and was chair or co-chair of other Woods Hole JEDI committees such as Black History Month and Juneteenth.
Onjalé has witnessed institution’s abandonment of values around justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and she seeks more ways to continue working with organizations who are steadfast in embracing those values.
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