Meet The Team

Doug Wilson is a Physical Oceanographer, Principal Investigator for the UVI Ocean Glider Lab, and a Courtesy Assistant Research Professor in the UVI Center for Marine and Environmental Studies. He specializes in oceanography and dynamics of the Caribbean Sea, having worked in the region extensively since the 1980’s. He began using gliders in the region in 2018, and is presently involved in glider-based projects related to climate, ocean processes, tropical cyclones, and passive acoustics. He serves on the Board of the US Underwater Gliders Users Group. He is active in US and international ocean observing, serving as project lead for IOCARBE-GOOS, the Global Ocean Observing System Regional Alliance for the Caribbean, as well as leadership roles in other regional UN Ocean Decade projects.

I am a graduate of the University of the Virgin Islands and work as a Glider Pilot, Glider Technician, and Data Manager.

I am a recent Ocean Glider Lab graduate. My research focuses on the use of autonomous underwater vehicles and detection algorithms for the detection and classification of baleen whales in the USVI and PR. Through my work I aim to improve AUV and baleen whale research in the region, inform the management of these vital species, and facilitate more responsible maritime operations.

I am an MMES graduate student whose thesis uses acoustic, environmental, and geospatial data collected by the gliders and the sensors they are equipped with to determine the locations of individual cetacean calls and analyze species distributions and habitat preferences with the goal of producing predictive habitat-suitability models that advance Caribbean cetacean knowledge and conservation efforts. Prior to my enrollment at UVI, I received a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry at the University of North Florida (UNF), where I conducted shark nursery research as a member of the UNF Shark Biology Program.

I am a master's student at the University of the Virgin Islands, where I work as a research assistant in the glider lab. My thesis project focuses on the oceanographic data collected by gliders to identify and predict trends in temperature stress on coral reef ecosystems. I aim to gain a deeper understanding of the reefs in the VI to inform their conservation and management.