At World Below the Waves we are scientists that design workshops, lectures, tours & events for local community members and visitors to Southern California and New Zealand. We can tailor to kids, surfers, SUPers, ocean swimmers, divers, ocean and outdoors enthusiasts- anyone interested in learning more about the ocean and marine life! We are marine biologists that study local and distant ecosystems and began this program to share and explore this incredible part of our world with you.
Laura K. Jordan-Smith, PhD spent18 years on the US west coast, where she completed her PhD at UCLA in 2008 studying stingray sensory biology. She has since conducted research projects on topics ranging from penguin flipper morphology to shark bycatch reduction. Her research has taken her from the chilly waters of Woods Hole, Massachusetts to tropical islands along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Her work has been published in several top journals and presented at conferences in the US and abroad. She has taught hands-on marine science courses at the University of San Diego, UCLA, at various marine labs around the US, including Shoals Marine Laboratory, and internationally in Fiji and Honduras. Laura relocated to New Zealand in 2019 to begin new adventures! She enjoys any opportunity to get out on or in the water and loves sharing the underwater world with her community!
Learn more about Laura here! |
Dovi Kacev, PhD completed the Joint Program in Ecology between San Diego State University and UC Davis. His research has taken him around the world, working in Australia, South Africa, the Bahamas, Mexico, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bodega Bay, and throughout Southern California. His current research involves using genetics to better understand population dynamics of mako and thresher sharks in the Pacific in order to design efficient and effective management plans for the two species. His current research focuses on using new genetic identification techniques to learn about larval fish communities and how they are influenced by human activities and he is currently teaching marine science and statistics courses at Scripps (SIO), UCSD. When he is not in the lab, Dovi can usually be found surfing at Blacks Beach or snorkeling with the leopard sharks in La Jolla.
Learn more about Dovi here! |
The World Below the Waves Team with our amazing volunteer Ashley!