Jim Welch

Jim Welch, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology at Wittenberg University, specializing in larval ecology and ecological physiology. He teaches Oceanography and Senior Capstone courses. His research focuses on marine invertebrate larval behaviors, water flow interactions, and turbulence effects in marine ecosystems, with current projects involving blue crab migration, deep-sea invertebrate dispersal in the Bahamas and East Pacific hydrothermal vents, and larval release mechanisms.

• B.S. in Biology (College of William and Mary)
• M.S. in Marine Studies (University of Delaware)
• Ph.D. in Zoology (Duke University)

Dr. Welch conducted postdoctoral research at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, studying deep-sea invertebrates. He has extensive field experience, including submersible dives in the DSRV Alvin (2500m) and Johnson Sea-Link submersibles in Bahamian waters. His work integrates physiological mechanisms with ecological processes to understand larval transport and recruitment dynamics.

Outside academia, Welch holds a US Coast Guard Master's License, has sailed in the Chesapeake Bay and Virgin Islands, and maintains interests in sailing, golf, racquetball, and hunting.