Paul Snelgrove

Dr. Paul Snelgrove is a Research Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Department of Ocean Sciences and Biology. He serves as Network Director of the NSERC Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe II), Associate Scientific Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute, and Departmental Science Advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. His educational background includes a BSc in Biology from Memorial University (1984), an MSc in Oceanography from McGill University (1984), and a PhD from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (1993), followed by postdoctoral positions at Rutgers and Dalhousie Universities.

Research interests focus on marine community ecology with emphasis on:

• Larval settlement dynamics and benthic-pelagic coupling
• Deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
• Anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems
• Conservation strategies for benthic environments

His 130+ publications demonstrate strong interdisciplinary trends in deep-sea ecology, biodiversity conservation, fisheries management, and climate change impacts, with recent focus on marine protected areas and ecosystem-based management.

Major scientific awards include:

• Parsons Medal for Interdisciplinary Ocean Sciences (2010)
• Timothy Parsons Medal for Marine Sciences Excellence (2013)
• Memorial University Research Professor (2015)

He currently advises PhD students on projects related to deep-sea ecosystem function and hypoxia impacts. Research infrastructure includes the Snelgrove Laboratory at the Ocean Sciences Centre, which supports experimental work on benthic ecology.