Chris Petersen
Marine Biology, Evolution, Field Ecology, and Policy

Chris Petersen received a B.A. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1976 and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona in 1985. Chris has been a faculty member at COA since 1990, where he teaches a range of classes in marine biology,evolution, field ecology, and policy. He also is actively engaged in research with students and with researchers at other universities. He has worked with undergraduates on Mount Desert Island, at multiple locations in the Caribbean, and the Pacific Northwest, and is currently collaborating with researchers from the University of Padova, Italy, Illinois State University, UC Santa Barbara, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Current student research projects include work on the molecular biology, physiological ecology, and reproductive behavior of a local small saltmarsh fish, cleaning behavior by reef fishes in the Caribbean, reproductive biology of specialized groups of fishes (seabasses and sculpins), analysis of emerging fisheries, and the modeling of reproductive timing in a variety of marine organisms. Chris has published over 30 papers in a variety of professional journals and books, including recent papers with COA students as coauthors.

Chris' website: http://199.33.141.23/faculty/webpages/cpetersen/