Ann Petersen, Ph.D.

Ann is a Marine Biologist and Research Program Leader with 20 years of experience leading and contributing to transdisciplinary and interagency teams conducting research on the health of aquatic systems. Ann comes to GMGI from NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, where she served as the Fisheries Ecology Branch Chief. During her years at NOAA, Ann participated in and oversaw research programs focused on understanding and quantifying human impacts on the health and reproduction of living marine resources and their habitats.

Prior to agency work, Ann was an educator and researcher in the Oregon State system. Her research used aquatic model organisms such as zebrafish and stickleback fishes to investigate genetic and cellular mechanisms of disease from pollution and temperature in vertebrate systems. She is also a passionate educator and taught a diverse set of courses in biology and marine biology, and mentored dozens of students in undergraduate research projects.

Ann earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Eckerd College and a Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology from CU Boulder.  After her Ph.D., Ann was a Postdoctoral Research Associate researching fish biomechanics at Wellesley College.

Ann comes to GMGI to serve as our Research Program Director with a diverse set of research, education, and leadership experiences to contribute to growing and directing our research programs at the Institute.