WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), is a private, non-profit organization and an established global leader in ocean science, exploration, and education. Its goals are to pursue a broad spectrum of discovery- and solution-oriented ocean research and exploration and to share resulting knowledge with the broadest audience possible. WHOI’s institutional priorities include: the physics, chemistry, and biology and marine geology of the ocean; engineering science and the invention of tools for ocean and deep-sea exploration; marine policy and decision support; and educating the next generation of ocean leaders. With more than 900 active projects worldwide, WHOI's research goals include science in service of solving global issues--including climate change, sea level rise, pollution and overfishing-- and exploring new realms of the ocean in search of new knowledge. WHOI science is supported by the operational skills that enable us to work using the ocean as a living laboratory. Whenever possible, WHOI collaborates in the realm of practical applications, such as the ocean engineering offshore industry, fisheries management, pollution response, wind energy, and recently, marine microplastics. Other potential applications include discovering new resources, such as pharmaceuticals, in the ocean--as well as exploring oceans beyond Earth. Our communications goals include sharing our expertise and scientific findings with key stakeholders, including the national and international scientific communities, students, policymakers, government agencies and private foundations and corporations, the media, and the public.

To maintain its role as a world leader in ocean research and exploration, WHOI seeks to attract and retain the top ocean scientists and engineers in the world. We do this by providing support and infrastructure that enables exploration, innovation, scientific excellence, and data sharing and by educating and mentoring the next generation of ocean scientists through major education programs, including the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography. Funding is key to supporting scientists, infrastructure and education, so WHOI cultivates a broad spectrum of private, public and government support for its programs. The institution fosters exploration by supporting the development and maintenance of cutting-edge tools that enable scientists to push the boundaries of what is known about the ocean. To share this knowledge as widely as possible, WHOI scientists and engineers regularly publish their findings in scientific journals, patent their work, collaborate with global partners, and hold leadership positions in most national and international oceanographic programs. They also share data in open source online environments and at national and international conferences. WHOI engages the public by working closely with the media and by posting information on the Internet and social media, and through public lectures and tours.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has an 89-year proven track record of ocean research and has developed unparalleled capabilities for ocean research. The institution supports 950 staff, including more than 500 scientists, engineers and technicians and 125 graduate students. The annual budget is $223 million. Its endowment (as of March 2018) is $400 million and it is governed by a highly engaged board and corporation. WHOI has five research departments: Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering; Biology, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Geology and Geophysics and Physical Oceanography. Its key focal points include the study of ocean life, the coastal ocean, ocean and climate change, as well as ocean exploration and marine policy. As part of its fleet of more than 100 ocean vehicles and vessels, WHOI operates two global-range research vessels: Atlantis (274 ft.) and Neil Armstrong (238 ft.), one coastal research vessel: Tioga (60 ft.) and numerous small boats. It also operates several national research facilities, including the National Ocean Sciences Accelerated Mass Spectrometer and the National Deep Submergence Facility with the human occupied submersible Alvin, and numerous remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles. WHOI scientists and engineers mentor and educate the most promising students through the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, a renowned education program established in 1968. WHOI scientists frequently publish their findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present at national and international scientific meetings. Patents and technology transfer are handled by the WHOI TechTransfer Office. Through the MBLWHOI Library, WHOI is at the leading edge of open access data sharing and applying semantic technologies to enable knowledge discovery, sharing and integration with Linked Open Data. Communications with the media and public are handled by a dedicated team of publicists, writers, webmasters, and social media experts. The WHOI Visitor Center and the Ocean Discovery Center offer educational displays and programs, guided tours, and public lectures.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is synonymous with leadership in ocean research and engineering. We were ranked by the 2013 Nature Publishing Index at #152 of the top 200 institutions in the world in all sciences and at #18 in the Earth and Environmental Sciences. In 2018, WHOI scientists published 588 scientific papers across 62 scientific journals. We are the top institution among the top six academic institutions to receive grant awards from the National Science Foundation for ocean research. We currently hold 66 patents, have research projects underway in 26 countries around the globe, and have a long-standing working relationship with the US Navy. The MIT-WHOI Joint Program has graduated more than 1,000 students to date. In the public outreach space in 2018, WHOI research garnered more than 12,000 media mentions, engaged more than 80,000 Facebook followers, 15,000 Twitter followers, and 26,000 Instagram followers. Additionally, the WHOI website had 24 million content views, 39,000 visitors toured the Exhibit Center, and 4,200 visitors either took a free guided tour or attended a free lecture. For all WHOI has accomplished, humans have only explored a faction of the ocean, with untold discoveries to make and new tools to invent for more in-depth ocean exploration. Every year brings a new cohort of students to educate and, as WHOI researchers gather knowledge and data, we must continue to find new and better ways to efficiently share data. As society increasingly realizes the importance of the ocean and its influence on our planet, scientific knowledge is critical for making informed decisions about our future and well-being so more is needed. WHOI is poised to continue to achieve excellence in ocean research and education by supporting big ideas, big data, and innovation, and by continuing to expand what is knowable about the ocean through scientific and engineering risk-taking.