Dana Yoerger

Oceanographic Engineer

Dana Yoerger is an oceanographic engineer and researcher in marine robotics. Dr. Yoerger has been a key contributor to the remotely-operated vehicle Jason; the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry; and the hybrid remotely operated vehicle, Nereus, which reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2009. Dr. Yoerger has gone to sea on over 80 oceanographic expeditions exploring the Mid-Ocean Ridge, mapping underwater seamounts and volcanoes, surveying ancient and modern shipwrecks, studying the environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the recent effort that located the Voyage Data Recorder from the merchant vessel El Faro. In his work with the OTZ team, Yoerger is developing new technology to explore the waters of the twilight zone. He led the group that created Mesobot, a small autonomous robot that can hover under water like a jellyfish, gathering high-resolution images of its targets.