Dr. Tim Shank

Tim Shank received a bachelors degree in Biology and German from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, worked two years in genetic toxicology at the Environmental Protection Agency, and received a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University. His primary research interests focus on understanding the ecological factors that affect the structure of diverse populations of deep-sea species. He combines molecular genetic approaches and ecological field studies to understand the conditions and adaptations that allow various species to migrate, evolve, and thrive in deep-sea habitats, including chemosynthetic ecosystems and potentially isolated seamounts. He has more than 25 scientific expeditions to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon seeps, continental slopes, and seamounts in the Eastern Pacific, Northern Atlantic, Sea of Cortez, Northeast Pacific, Galápagos Rift, Southeast Pacific, and Central Indian Ocean. These expeditions included more than 50 submersible dives, 20 remotely operated vehicle dives, and 35 autonomous underwater vehicle dives.