• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Scott M. Gallager

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Associate Scientist

Dr. Scott Gallager is a tenured scientist in the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). As a Plankton Ecologist, he has been designing optical instrumentation for over 35 years to study tiny particles in some of the harshest environments on the planet from the crushing pressures of the deep ocean to the bitter cold of the Antarctic and Arctic. His experiences in studying the farthest edges of the aquatic world is well established. Following his graduate research at Boston University, he received the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award to study the biophysical environment of pteropods and other plankton using optical microscopes he designed for use directly in the ocean. He has also developed the stereo optical imaging vehicle called HabCam, which is currently being used by NOAA to conduct stock assessments of the near billion-dollar sea scallop industry and was recently awarded the prestigious three year CINAR Cooperative Fellowship to work with NOAA researchers on critical environmental problems. Realizing the magnitude of the issue of microplastics in marine food chains influencing bacteria to human food organisms, Dr. Gallager Chairs the Microplastics Catalyst Program at WHOI (microplastics.whoi.edu). Along with nine of his colleagues he has been developing the program to address the critical issues of scientific rigor, instrumentation development, standardization of sampling and analysis protocols, distribution of microplastics from large rivers to our coastal waters and deep sea, impacts on marine organisms and the potential for biomagnification up the food chain to humans of polymers and toxic organic compounds adsorbed to microplastic particles. Dr. Gallager is committed to better understanding the impacts of microplastics on the marine environment and its implications to human health through the design and hosting of a global workshop in October of this year where 125 experts will convene to plan a rigorous path forward in the field of microplastics. He holds four patents and is author of more than 130 peer reviewed publications in plankton and benthic ecology and optical instrument development.

Sessions With Scott M. Gallager

Wednesday, 13 March