Mark Hay is an experimental field ecologist that focuses on coral reefs, but has also worked on the ecology of lakes, streams, open oceans, invasive species, and deserts. He has participated in and lead dozens of ship-based expeditions but more commonly works from remote field locations to conduct longer-term experiments (Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Australia, French Polynesia, the Seychelles, the Caribbean, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, etc.). He has conducted more than 5,000 science-focused scuba dives and lead four saturation diving missions (using both Hydrolab and Aquarius) where scientists live, work, and dive for 10-day periods from an underwater lab. Most of his research expeditions focus on i) understanding ecological interactions among reef organisms and how these can be used to conserve and restore coral reefs and ii) on understanding the “chemical language” organisms use to decide whether to attack, escape from, or mate with the things next to them. The new chemicals discovered in these latter studies are then explored for possible uses as drugs-from-the-sea. Hay works with media outlets including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening News, NPR, National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Discovery Chanel, Newsweek, Time, Discover, Smithsonian Magazine, etc. to assure that his scientific discoveries are made accessible to the general public. He is the Teasley and Regents’ Professor at Georgia Tech and has received recognitions including: the Lowell Thomas Award from the Explorers Club, the Cody Award in Ocean Sciences, the Silver Metal from the International Society of Chemical Ecology, the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal from the US National Academy of Sciences, and appointment as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences and the Ecological Society of America. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association of Arts and Sciences.
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