Joel Llopiz

Fisheries oceanographer and larval fish ecologist

Joel Llopiz is a fisheries oceanographer and a larval fish ecologist. On the twilight zone project, his role is to decipher the mysteries of the mesopelagic food web and its resilience to anticipated environmental change. In particular, his research focuses on the interactions of fish and fish larvae with their environment, particularly what they feed on and how well they are feeding.  As part of the OTZ team, his colleagues depend on him to—identify creatures captured by cameras and nets; verify the biology behind acoustic scattering patterns; and anticipate the effect of red or white lights on Deep-See and Mesobot.

Joel LLopiz received a B.S. degree in Marine Science from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, in 2000. Following 2 years as a Fisheries Biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, he earned a Ph.D. degree in Marine Biology and Fisheries from University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS), Miami, FL, in 2008. He was a Postdoctoral Associate at UM-RSMAS until 2010 and a Postdoctoral Scholar at WHOI until 2012. He is now an Associate Scientist in Biology at WHOI.