About Me

Stuart Sandin, PhD, is a quantitative ecologist with specific interests in population and community ecology. He is a professor of marine ecology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Oliver Chair in marine biodiversity and conservation science. He also serves as the director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, a program based at Scripps promoting interdisciplinary research and educational approaches to maintain the integrity of ocean ecosystems and manage their use in the face of rapid and inevitable global change.

Stuart’s research addresses questions in which ecology can most effectively inform marine management. What have been the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems? How have changes in the structure of these ecosystems affected their functioning, especially related to important ecosystem services? Finally, how can ecological insights best be applied to develop creative and effective solutions to marine management problems?

Much in the same way an engineer provides informed solutions to practical commercial problems, an ecologist can provide informed recommendations for the protection and sustained use of natural resources. Stuart firmly believes that novel and fundamental ecological discoveries are yet to be learned, and that such discoveries hold promise to enhance current management strategies. His research focuses largely on the ecology of coral reefs, with the goal of finding effective management and restoration approaches for this imperiled ecosystem.