John Reed is a Research Professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), Florida Atlantic University, and Principal Investigator for The Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology of NOAA. He specializes in research and conservation of coral reefs, including deep-water Lophelia and Oculina coral reefs off the southeastern U.S., and mesophotic coral reefs of the Caribbean, Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida.
He has conducted over 60 research expeditions as Chief Scientist during the past 42 years, visiting 40 countries, including Seychelles, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Galapagos Islands, Pearl Islands, Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and throughout the Bahamas, and Caribbean. In 2017 he led a 30-day expedition, circumnavigating Cuba, to survey their mesophotic reefs for the first time. He has utilized research vessels from HBOI, NOAA and NASA as platforms for manned submersibles, ROVs, and AUVs. John also heads the Collections and Taxonomy Department for the Biomedical Marine Research Program (BMR) at HBOI. He is curator for BMR’s museum (>30,000 deep and shallow water marine organisms), submersible videotapes and photographic archives.
John’s research on the deep-water Oculina coral reefs off Florida since 1976 has resulted in the establishment of a 600 sq.mi. Oculina Coral Marine Protected Area, the first in the world to protect deep-water coral.
His current research on the deep-water Lophelia reefs off the southeastern United States at depths of 2500 ft has been instrumental in the newly established 23,000 sq. mi. deep-water coral habitat area of particular concern from North Carolina to south Florida. John‘s research on deep-water reefs began 42 years ago when he started at Harbor Branch for the Division of Marine Science. He has >100 publications, reports, and articles on worldwide research expeditions, deep-sea coral reef research, and biomedical research. John received his B.S. from the University of Miami and M.S., specializing in marine ecology, from Florida Atlantic University in 1975.
Watch a documentary of the discovery, research, and efforts to protect the deep-water Oculina coral reefs off Florida here.
