2023

Annual Report

Our team continued to build on more than 35 years of innovation and discovery.

87 days at sea
56 AUV missions
2,147 kilometers mapped
52 ROV dives
241 hours of ROV video
486K video annotations
130K machine learning video localizations
55.6 petabytes of soundscape data downloaded
90 floats launched (SOCCOM/GO-BGC)
54 publications
150 presentations
106 mentorships
17 news stories
22 video productions
616K social media followers
1 new species
Scholin Beach3

MBARI President and Chief Executive Officer reflects on the important milestones reached in 2023.

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Traveling back in time with genetics to understand animal evolution

By creating detailed genetic maps, MBARI researchers and their collaborators answered a fundamental question about early animal evolution.

Traveling back in time with genetics to understand animal evolution

Revealing the secrets of a deep-sea octopus nursery

Using advanced deep-sea technology, MBARI researchers and collaborators uncovered why thousands of octopus nest near an inactive underwater volcano.

Revealing the secrets of a deep-sea octopus nursery

Transforming our understanding of the deep seafloor with new technology

Innovative technology developed by MBARI engineers is revolutionizing our ability to study seafloor animals and environments.

Transforming our understanding of the deep seafloor with new technology

Expanding access to innovative MBARI technology

A new partnership with Saab, Inc. will make the MBARI long-range autonomous underwater vehicle commercially available for the first time.

Expanding access to innovative MBARI technology

Inspiring the next generation of ocean explorers

Community events and social media help new audiences meet the MBARI team and show that ocean science careers are accessible to all.

Inspiring the next generation of ocean explorers

Inspiring awe and action by sharing stories from the deep sea

A new MBARI video and web series uses stunning video and accessible narratives to connect audiences to deep-sea animals and inspire ocean stewardship.

Inspiring awe and action by sharing stories from the deep sea

Dockside Developments

A new research vessel, an expansion to our campus, a cohort of new staff, and a community science game—MBARI seeks to push the boundaries of marine science and tech innovation even further.

A sailing classroom

MBARI’s former flagship research vessel sets sail with the Florida Institute of Oceanography.

A sailing classroom

Careers

New staff join the MBARI team to further our work in ocean exploration and engineering.

Careers

Community science

FathomVerse leverages gaming and community science to improve AI for ocean exploration and discovery.

Community science

Under construction

Construction begins on MBARI’s new robotic technology lab, the Instrumentation Integration and Testing Facility.

Under construction

2023 Award Recipients

Katija kakani 2

Kakani Katija

Marine Technology Society’s Compass Distinguished Achievement Award

Leitner Astrid

Astrid Leitner

Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Field Biology

Scholin Beach3

Chris Scholin

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s 2023 Panetta Sea Star

Troni Giancarlo2

Giancarlo Troni

Inspirational Teachers Award from the 2023 Mechanical Engineering Class PUC-Chile

In Memoriam

Duke University image 5716042 Richard Barber

Richard Barber

MBARI’S Inaugural Executive Director

MBARI’s inaugural Executive Director, Richard Barber, helped forge the character of a fledgling institution and played an important role in shaping MBARI’s mission to build and scale the innovative technology needed to understand and protect our ocean.