B. Greg Mitchell, Ph.D.

Dr. B. Greg Mitchell is a Research Biologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).  Dr. Mitchell received his Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Aquatic Biology and Special Honors in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin.  At the University of Texas he carried out his Honors research project with Dr. Richard Starr, founder of the UTEX algae collection, and Dr. Harold Bold, the leading pioneer of algae research.

In 1987 he received his PhD in Biological Oceanography from the University of Southern California under the advisement of Dr. Dale Kiefer, with a focus on physiological ecology of algae as related to absorption, fluorescence and aquatic optics.  After a year as a Postdoctoral Scholar at SIO he joined the permanent staff as a Research Biologist.

From 1990-1992 Dr. Mitchell served the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as Program Manager for the Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program and as Program Scientist for NASA¹s SeaWiFS and MODIS ocean color satellite missions. His research on phytoplankton photosynthesis and growth models, aquatic ecology, ocean optics and satellite remote sensing has been sponsored by NASA, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

As the leader of the Scripps Photobiology Group, his present research focuses on use of satellites to monitor change in global ocean ecosystems, including the impact of the El Nino Southern Oscillation on the California Current, and future changes in the primary production of the Antarctic Ocean caused by glacial melt associated with climate change.  For more than 2 decades he has promoted mass culture of algae to mitigate CO2 and wastewater nutrient loading, and to create biomass for fuel and animal feed.  Applied research currently focuses on optimization of yields of bioenergy molecules in the light-temperature-nutrient matrix that regulates algae growth, numerical modeling of algae yield optimization and design of closed and open photobioreactors that optimize yields.

Dr. Mitchell has published more than 65 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and more than 150 conference proceedings or abstracts for national and international scientific meetings.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Houston Advanced Research Center, the Algal Biomass Organization, and the San Diego Center for Algal Biotechnology.

More details can be found here: www.spg.ucsd.edu.