TOS Council Election

Vittorio Brando

Dr. Vittorio E. Brando graduated cum Laude in Environmental Sciences at the University of Venice in 1995 and obtained a PhD in Environmental Systems Modelling at the University of Padua in 2000. His research activities focus on optical oceanography and earth observation of optically complex waters in inland, coastal, and marine environments.

Vittorio was at CSIRO in Australia from 2000 to 2013, where he was Principal Investigator for several large collaborative projects focused on the development of applications of Earth Observation for the environmental management of the Great Barrier Reef coastal waters and on the addition of optical oceanography data streams to the ocean observing infrastructure in Australian coastal and marine environments.

In 2014 he returned to CNR in Italy with a two-year Senior Marie Curie Fellowship to assess the most suitable satellite observation classes for fine scale oceanographic processes to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of river plume characteristics in coastal waters. Since 2020, Dr. Brando is Dirigente di Ricerca (Research Director) at CNR-ISMAR in Rome where he oversees the delivery of operational ocean colour data streams in the ocean observing infrastructure for European coastal and marine environments. He serves as the Leader of the Ocean Colour Thematic Assembly Center in the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service as well as partner PI and/or WP leader for several collaborative projects funded by EU’s H2020/HE, ESA, EUMETSAT, and ASI.

Dr. Brando has led several field campaigns and research voyages in inland, coastal and shelf waters for the optical characterization of temperate and tropical aquatic systems, spending on average ~20-30 days at sea per year. Since 2017, he is contributing to design of autonomous hyperspectral above-water radiometers and of their network of validation of satellite aquatic radiometry and he is the PI of three sites.

In 2024 he was the chair of the Copernicus FICE24 training course on above water radiometry for ocean colour satellite validation held in Venice. He is Committee Member of the International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG), Member of the ESA Mission Advisory Group for Copernicus Sentinel-3 NextGen Optical and of the DLR EnMAP Science Advisory Group.

Vittorio is grateful for the nomination to serve TOS as At-Large Councilor. If elected he aims to broaden the engagement by TOS in Europe in the education and outreach of ocean sciences and to strenghten the relationships within the oceanographic communities across continents.

Leonard Pace

Leonard Pace is the Science Program Senior Manager at Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI). Since 2013, he has led the selection process for interdisciplinary science projects aboard SOI’s research vessels Falkor and Falkor (too). His work at SOI has involved collaborations with over one hundred organizations from around the world, and he is thrilled to be directly engaging with researchers in the southern hemisphere in support of SOI’s next ten years of operations below the equator. He also holds a leadership role with the Ocean Coalition, a joint effort across several of Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s foundations, providing grant support to programs and projects aimed at improving justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in marine sciences. Leonard’s work prior to joining SOI concentrated on supporting federal granting and program coordination with the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

He received his B.Sc. in Marine and Environmental Science from Hampton University, and his M.Sc. in Fisheries Biology from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. His primary focus was on elasmobranch physiology and he also conducted research on Great White Shark ecology in South Africa and Naked Dragonfish respiration in Antarctica.

If elected to serve as a Council member, he would look forward to working with all Council members to further the work that has been done towards making the discipline of oceanography accessible to anyone interested and representative of all whom the world’s ocean touches. In addition, he would seek to enhance the collaboration between The Oceanography Society and the philanthropic community, as it is playing an increasingly important role in supporting ocean science.

Jamie Pierson

Jamie Pierson is a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, based at the Horn Point Laboratory. He is a biological oceanographer focused on zooplankton ecology and working on broadening participation in ocean sciences. Jamie received Masters’ and PhD degrees from the University of Washington, School of Oceanography, and a BS in Biology with a concentration in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of New Hampshire. Between his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he worked at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island as part of the US GLOBEC Broadscale Survey zooplankton ecology team. Jamie’s research has focused on the role of individual behaviors, including migration, feeding, and reproduction, on mesozooplankton populations and plankton food webs. A great deal of his work has been to increase our understanding of how deoxygenation and climate change impact individuals and populations of zooplankton in estuarine, coastal, and open ocean ecosystems. Collaboration has been a hallmark of Jamie’s research. His research has encompassed a broad range of time and space scales and considered bottom-up and top-down processes. In addition to his work with TOS, he has served on ASLO committees and currently is a member of the ICES Working Group on Zooplankton Ecology.

Jamie firmly believes that broadening participation and fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance in ocean sciences is essential to growing the field and maintaining its relevance in the modern world. He is a co-PI on the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance, which seeks to better understand what actions are most effective to broaden participation and foster a sense of belonging and inclusion at all levels of the ocean science workforce across Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, and implement those actions. He has been a member of TOS since joining as a graduate student, and a member of the TOS JEDI committee since its creation in 2020. As a member of that committee, he worked with other members to host town hall events at the 2022 and 2024 Ocean Sciences meetings to gather input from the community on how the society can foster the goal of increasing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in ocean science.

As an At-Large Councilor for TOS, Jamie will continue to support the mission of TOS through work with the Council and the TOS committees. Jamie sees this opportunity as a means to pay forward the support and mentorship the ocean community has afforded him throughout his career. He plans to work on initiatives to support members of the ocean science community at all career stages through educational, professional development, and scientific opportunities, and to find ways to grow the TOS membership community.

Moronke Harris

Moronke Harris (moronkeharris.com) is a deep-sea oceanographer with experience in climate engineering and intergovernmental, multi-vessel research expedition planning on the high seas. She is fascinated with exploration, innovation, and the blue economy. As a 4th-year graduate student in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences (SEOS) at the University of Victoria (UVic; Canada), her research focuses on sustainable innovations provided by hydrothermal vent ecosystems 1000-4000 m under the ocean’s surface.

Leadership Experience

Throughout my time at UVic, I have been passionate about the processes of university governance and navigating these processes to improve student academic experiences. As a 2-term elected Student Senator (2023-2025), I play an active role in shaping institutional policy and governance. On the Senate Committee on Appeals, I worked to ensure that student concerns were fairly considered and addressed by advocating for transparency and equity in the appeals process. As a current member of the Senate Committee on Agenda and Governance, I help shape the strategic direction of the University Senate, guarantee student participation in decision-making processes, and promote initiatives that foster inclusivity and academic excellence. As a 2-term elected SEOS Graduate Representative (2021-23), I spent time working to build relationships at the faculty level, deepening my understanding of how budgets, policies, and processes impact the lives of students and staff and ensuring students have allies on our side when it matters most. This led to actionable change concerning SEOS funding transparency and increased our minimum annual stipend by $2,000.

My dedicated contributions to UVic are bolstered by broader leadership involvement within the global marine community as a member of the Ocean Wise Board of Directors and the UN-recognized Early Career Ocean Professionals Canada Advisory Board, and the TOS Student Committee. In these roles, I have collaboratively led diverse teams to achieve shared goals focused on early-career development. Passionate about TOS activities, I served as an assistant to Josette McLean (outgoing Student Representative on TOS Council) and Somita Chaudhary (TOS Student Representative on the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting [OSM] Planning Committee) after taking the initiative to create the opportunity by requesting involvement in student-centered planning for OSM 2024.

Election Platform

My key leadership experience, pre-existing relationships within academic and industry governance and strong background in intergovernmental initiatives position me to be an active, advocative Councilor on behalf of all students. I see this role as an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of our field, ensure student voices are heard, and build bridges between early-career scientists and the broader oceanographic community. My commitment to you is to strengthen the student experience while ensuring a global perspective. Students are the future of ocean science. Ocean science is a global endeavor, and TOS is a society with international reach. I recognize the importance of ensuring TOS continues to be inclusive and representative of all nations.

I will work to:

• Elevate the visibility of student research and ideas through access to funding opportunities to support studies and conference participation
• Ensure student needs and concerns are at the forefront of TOS’s strategic direction and uphold a particular emphasis on ensuring students in equity-deserving groups can shape the future direction of our society
• Advocate for initiatives that enhance cross-border collaboration
• Create opportunities for students to connect and participate in TOS activities, including virtual events and skill-building seminars
• Foster stronger connections between students and experienced researchers, promoting mentorship

TOS has been an integral part of my development as a scientist, and I am eager to give back to this community that has nurtured my passion for ocean science. Thank you for your consideration.

Luan Heywood

Luan Heywood is a PhD student at the University of Washington, where her research centers on the geochemistry of subduction zone magmas. Luan holds a BS Earth Sciences from the University of Iowa and a MS Geology from Western Washington University, where her thesis focused on volcaniclastic rocks and sediments drilled in the Izu-Bonin Arc by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). After her MS, she worked for IODP as a Marine Science Technician on the drillship R/V JOIDES Resolution, alternating expeditions with onshore marine lab instrumentation development at the JOIDES Resolution Science Operator (Texas A&M University). She has also sailed as an Ocean Mapping intern on the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and on a small, K-12 educational marine science vessel on the Salish Sea.

Luan serves on the steering committee of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIIG), an affinity group for US-based earth scientists who are AAPI or of Asian- and/or Pacific Islander-descent. AAPIIG hosts networking meet-ups at several US earth and ocean science conferences, as well as an annual virtual seminar series during May for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, for which Luan is one of the primary organizers.

Luan is interested in serving as TOS Student Representative with perspective from her previous career as a non-PhD holding oceanographer and technician, as well as her perspective as a current geological oceanography graduate student. Luan is passionate and engaged in efforts to diversify professional earth and ocean science spaces, and is in particular interested in efforts that foster international, interdisciplinary and intergenerational science collaborations as a tool for positive transformative change.

Charlotte Kollman

Advocating for the needs and concerns of both student and early-career researchers, facilitating mentorship opportunities, and promoting equitable initiatives that empower the next generation of ocean scientists will serve as my main priorities if selected as the next TOS Student Representative. I have extensive experience serving on organizational committees throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and have also helped organize several academic conferences, including the successful completion of the Ocean Sciences Meeting in February of this year. One of my core strengths is my ability to balance research with service. Over the past year, I gained first-hand experience working alongside the EC members of AGU, ASLO, and TOS through the planning of events at the AGU Fall Meeting and OSM 24, including multiple panels throughout the conference that focused on addressing inequities and knowledge-gaps that are pervasive within the broader graduate student community. I have also actively sought out ways to learn more about/serve on DEI-related initiatives both within and outside of my graduate department. One example is my participation in URGE: Unlearning Racism in Geoscience, where I was tasked with developing a Lab and Safety Field Plan specifically designed to ensure the protection of at-risk communities while working in the field. This experience deepened my understanding of the intersectionality of scientific research and social responsibility, emphasizing the importance of incorporating equity considerations during field research. Currently, I am a PhD student within Dr. Cliff Buck’s Trace Metal Biogeochemistry lab. My research interests broadly involve the ways we can use isotopes to characterize oceanographic processes, and my dissertation will focus on the interactions between aerosol trace elements (TEs) and the surface ocean as part of a two-year time-series study at Station Aloha in the North Pacific. In addition to my research, I am particularly interested in the importance of knowledge sharing, collaboration, and mentorship. During my time as the student representative on the AGU Executive Council, my role as the Graduate Student Recruitment Chair in my department, as well as other roles I’ve held, I believe I have proven my dedication and passion for fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for early-career professionals and students, where their voices are amplified, and their contributions are valued. But I also recognize that there is so much more work to be done. Building a more inclusive and supportive scientific community starts by listening to, acknowledging and addressing DEI-specific challenges that may arise in the pursuit of knowledge. As the TOS Student Representative, I will actively work to cultivate a culture of respect and equity for all people within the Ocean Sciences. Thank you for your time and consideration.