Andy Bowen

Ocean Engineer and Director of the National Deep Submergence Facility

Andy Bowen has worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for more than 30 years, helping to push the boundaries of what underwater robotic vehicles can do. He’s the kind of guy who wakes up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep, because he’s just too excited about a solution he’s just imagined for a new robotic invention—and the fantastic things it could help his scientific partners discover. Bowen has participated in dozens of oceanographic cruises to explore the ocean, often learning the hard way that the ocean is as unforgiving as it is challenging. As director of the National Deep Submergence Facility at WHOI, he is currently helping the OTZ project create a new suite of technology to explore the ocean twilight zone, revolutionizing our understanding of a little-known part of the ocean.