Mark Hay

Mark Hay is an experimental marine ecologist known for his work on community, marine, and chemical ecology. He holds the Teasley Chair in Environmental Biology and is a Regents Professor. His research has heightened our understanding of marine ecosystems, helped found the field of marine chemical ecology, provided key insights regarding the conservation and restoration of coral reefs, and challenged how scientists view ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the establishment and impact of invasive species. Hay commonly works with media outlets (NY Times, National Geographic, NPR, BBC, Animal Planet, etc.) to assure that basic findings from his group are made accessible to the general public.

He has participated in dozens of ship-based expeditions but more commonly works at remote field stations to conduct longer-term experiments. He has conducted 5,000+ scuba dives and four saturation diving missions (using both Hydrolab and Aquarius) – where scientists live and work at depth on a coral reef for periods of 10 days. He is identified by ISI’s Web-of-Sciences as one of the world’s most cited researchers in the area of Ecology and the Environment.