John Vavrinec

John Vavrinec, PhD, serves as a Dive Officer and senior research scientist with the Coastal Ecosystems Team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)-Sequim, while holding a joint appointment as an oceanography instructor at Western Washington University. His career spans over three decades of field research in coastal and estuarine environments across North America, with extensive expertise in marine ecology, oceanography, and scientific diving operations.

His educational background includes a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Maine (2003), BS in Environmental and Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1992), and AA in Liberal Arts Math and Science from SUNY Stone Ridge (1990). Professional certifications encompass NOAA Working Diver, NAUI Master Diver, TDI Rebreather Diver, and multiple advanced technical diving credentials.

Vavrinec's research integrates basic ecological principles with practical conservation management, focusing on subtidal community dynamics, marine protected area effectiveness, and anthropogenic impact assessment. His interdisciplinary approach combines field studies on crab foraging, sea urchin demographics, larval transport, and fish behavior with large-scale restoration projects. Recent work emphasizes coastal habitat rehabilitation and human activity impacts on wild populations, requiring collaboration with fisheries managers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders.

His publication record reveals consistent contributions to Columbia River estuary restoration, eelgrass rehabilitation in Puget Sound, and underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO) site characterization. Key research themes include cumulative effects assessment, adaptive management frameworks, and marine ecosystem response metrics to anthropogenic disturbances.

• 2010 Outstanding Performance Award for unparalleled teamwork and safety focus
• 2011 Outstanding Performance Award for Cumulative Effects Study support
• 2011 Team Of The Year Award

As a PNNL STEM ambassador and Western Washington University instructor, Vavrinec actively engages K-12 students through the West Sound STEM Network. His operational expertise includes over 3,000 scientific research dives across diverse environments from the Gulf of Maine to the Pacific Northwest, supporting resource assessment, experimental construction, and underwater documentation for federal and academic projects.