Meet our newest faculty member, Dr. Behzad Morazvi, Senior Marine Scientist, DISL, and Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Alabama

Q: What is your educational background?
A: I have a master's degree in biological oceanography from the Universite de Pierre et Marie Curie (1992), a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from Florida State University (1998).

Q: What is your field of study?
A: My field of study is biogeochemistry. I am interested in 1) how bioreactive elements such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus are processed in the ecosystem, 2) how human activities are affecting these processes, and 3) how we can mitigate our impacts on the environment. These questions have taken me to diverse systems such as estuaries, the Arctic Ocean and forests in the southeastern US.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish here at the Sea Lab?
A: I will focus my energies in three sectors: 1) Research on biogeochemical processes in watersheds and coastal sites in Alabama. My research group will focus on issues of how upstream activities are impacting coastal sites and are impacting estuarine and near coastal sites. 2) Education of the next generation of scientists who will acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to address issues related to environmental sciences in marine ecosystems and 3) Outreach - informing the public at large about how we are impacting our coastal ecosystems and how we can preserve them.

Q: Why did you become a marine scientist, and any words of advice to aspiring marine scientists out there?
A: I was attracted to the field of marine sciences because of its interdisciplinary nature. Many of the issues in this field can only be addressed by a combination of tools from chemistry, biology and physics.

I would suggest to the aspiring marine scientist to participate in programs that offer them the opportunity to spend time in the field and in the laboratory. Because this field is so diverse, they might want to spend time in different groups working in different environments so that they can find out which subdiscipline of marine sciences is of most interest to them.