Brian Bowen

Summary

I began a lifelong interest in marine biogeography by spending summers on Cape Cod, at the boundary between the Gulf of Maine and the mid-Atlantic coast. After an ill-advised attempt at a biomedical career, I earned a B.S. in biology at Providence College (1980), a M.A. at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (1987) under John A. Musick, a Ph.D. in genetics (1992) under John C. Avise at University of Georgia, and subsequently worked as a post-doctoral researcher and assistant professor at University of Florida. In March 2003 I joined Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at University of Hawaii, and was promoted to research professor in 2009. During this interval I conducted globe-spanning genetic surveys of marine fish and turtles, for a total of about 170 publications. Recent accomplishments include co-authorship of the best selling textbook Diversity of Fishes, and a realignment of marine biogeographic provinces with John Briggs. I run a large lab with Dr. Robert Toonen, with the goal of identifying how marine biodiversity is generated and maintained, in the service of conservation. I am a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a marine turtle specialist for the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

Animal Behavior Ecology Genetics Marine Biology Molecular Biology

Institution affiliations