Jesse Cusack

Jesse Cusack serves as an Assistant Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) at Oregon State University, where he investigates small-to-mesoscale ocean processes including turbulence, internal waves, and eddy dynamics through combined observational and numerical approaches. His work examines how these phenomena influence Earth's climate system across spatial scales from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers.

His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Ocean and Earth Science from the University of Southampton (2018), an M.Sc. in Atmosphere, Oceans, and Climate from the University of Reading (2013), and an M.Phys. in Physics from the University of Manchester (2012).

• Ph.D.: Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton (2018)
• M.Sc.: Atmosphere, Oceans, and Climate, University of Reading (2013)
• M.Phys.: Physics, University of Manchester (2012)

Cusack's research centers on physical oceanography with specialized expertise in ice-ocean interactions, flow-topography dynamics, and turbulent mixing processes. He conducts fieldwork in critical regions including the Samoan Passage, Drake Passage, and Southern Ocean, focusing on how energy transfers across scales affect global circulation. His commitment to open science is demonstrated through publicly available analysis tools like the mixsea Python module for turbulence analysis.

Analysis of his 12 publications (2011-2024) reveals an evolving research trajectory from granular physics to ocean dynamics, with recent work (2023-2024) emphasizing climate-relevant processes such as typhoon-driven ocean interactions in the Philippine Sea and Southern Ocean dynamics connecting circumpolar currents to ice shelves. His studies consistently integrate high-resolution observational data with numerical modeling, showing particular strength in abyssal mixing mechanisms and ice-ocean boundary processes.

No scientific awards were documented in the source materials.

Information regarding student advising and research grants was not provided in the available text, though his collaborative publication record indicates extensive partnerships with institutions including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and international universities.

Cusack maintains active involvement in major oceanographic field campaigns, particularly those examining overflow dynamics in the Samoan Passage and ice-ocean interactions at tidewater glaciers. His current projects include studying bottom boundary layer dynamics off Vietnam's coast, submesoscale processes in eddies, and developing open-source tools for ocean turbulence analysis.