Student-Led Research

water satellite technology

OPAL works with graduate students who have conducted research in estuaries and oceans here in New England, but also spanning the globe to South America, the South Pacific, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and Antarctica. Compelling issues associated with the ocean's response to climate dynamics and fishing pressures, along with many new inwater and satellite technologies are leading to exciting new opportunities to tailor research in collaboration with OPAL scientists.

Study and research at UNH within both EOS and the UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering provides students with access to a broad range of Earth system expertise and we work to foster an environment where interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving are encouraged. OPAL faculty teach and advise within the Earth Science and Oceanography programs and we also work with students across a range of disciplines including engineering, mathematics and computer science. 

Meet Opal Students

  • Oceanography M.S. '21
    Sarah is currently a Staff Scientist/Chemist at NewFields specializing in sediment management and marine services and working to reduce impacts of contaminants in marine environments. She feels her UNH experience at sea for two weeks post graduation aboard the R/V Kilo Moana helped land her career.
    Oceanography M.S. '21
    Sarah is currently a Staff Scientist/Chemist at NewFields specializing in sediment management and marine services and working to reduce impacts of contaminants in marine environments. She feels her UNH experience at sea for two weeks post graduation aboard the R/V Kilo Moana helped land her career.
  • Oceanography M.S. '21
    Kerry is a Macroalgal Curator at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine working with incubator-grown seaweed. She finds this work especially important in today's climate because seaweed aquaculture is up-and-coming as a viable solution for a sustainable and regenerative food source. 
    Oceanography M.S. '21
    Kerry is a Macroalgal Curator at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine working with incubator-grown seaweed. She finds this work especially important in today's climate because seaweed aquaculture is up-and-coming as a viable solution for a sustainable and regenerative food source. 
  • Biogeochemical Oceanography M.S. '22
    Currently Jessica is working on a NASA project to enhance the way we communicate science. The project seeks to address land use/land change model simulations to predict future urban development scenarios and identify emerging risks for keystone species’ habitat in New England...
    Biogeochemical Oceanography M.S. '22
    Currently Jessica is working on a NASA project to enhance the way we communicate science. The project seeks to address land use/land change model simulations to predict future urban development scenarios and identify emerging risks for keystone species’ habitat in New England...
  • Oceanography Ph.D. '20
    Melissa is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa working on a high-frequency autonomous dual sensor to measure seawater total alkalinity and pH to evaluate metabolic processes in Hawaiian coral reef areas from in situ time series and process study data. 
    Oceanography Ph.D. '20
    Melissa is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa working on a high-frequency autonomous dual sensor to measure seawater total alkalinity and pH to evaluate metabolic processes in Hawaiian coral reef areas from in situ time series and process study data. 
  • Oceanography M.S. '20
    John got his MS from UNH and is currently a Marine Ecotoxicology PhD student at the department of ecology, environment and plant sciences at Stockholm University. His research is on how cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic Sea affect the growth of fish and their accumulation of toxins and pollutants.
    Oceanography M.S. '20
    John got his MS from UNH and is currently a Marine Ecotoxicology PhD student at the department of ecology, environment and plant sciences at Stockholm University. His research is on how cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic Sea affect the growth of fish and their accumulation of toxins and pollutants.