The Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Antje Boetius as the new MBARI President and CEO.
Boetius is a world-famous deep-sea and polar researcher, who prior to her new role with MBARI was the director of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, a post she has held since 2017.
During her career, she has taken part in over 50 scientific expeditions as well as coordinating a vast array of international and national research programs.
Discussing Boetius’ appointment, Julie Packard, chair of the MBARI Board of Directors, commented:
“Antje Boetius is a visionary leader whose deep scientific expertise and global perspective make her uniquely qualified to guide MBARI into its next chapter. At a time when the health of our ocean is more critical than ever, Antje’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing MBARI’s mission to explore and understand the ocean through technology and innovation. We’re thrilled to welcome her as president and CEO and look forward to the new ocean discoveries she and the MBARI team will help us reach.”
Commenting on her appointment, Boetius stated:
“All life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean. Yet, it’s surprising how little we know about the immense network of life in our seas. MBARI’s cutting-edge technology plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the ocean, delivering a stream of surprising discoveries to inform ocean solutions. I’m excited to expand MBARI’s collaborations across the U.S. and around the world, sharing our innovations and the immense expertise of our team to help deepen our connections to the ocean.
“I’m excited to join ocean leaders from around the world at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. This is a pivotal moment to forge new partnerships and accelerate our shared commitment to explore and protect our ocean. I look forward to sharing some of MBARI’s fascinating discoveries with conference delegates and highlighting our continued commitment to advancing marine science and engineering.”
While discussing the departing CEO and president, Chris Scholin, who will now be taking up a senior scientist role at MBARI, Boetius said:
“Under Chris Scholin’s leadership, MBARI has made incredible contributions to our knowledge about the ocean. I look forward to working with Chris to find new ways to use technology to improve our presence at sea and share MBARI’s innovations with the entire ocean community.”
