OUR TEAM

HEIDI LOVIG CARPENTER
Chief Science Officer

Heidi manages post-cruise navigational and video data processing, GIS analysis and reporting, and other final products and website content at MARE. Heidi has a strong interdisciplinary background in the aquatic sciences with 17 years experience working in marine biology, fisheries management, water quality and environmental compliance for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, CA Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Unit and the City of Arcata. Heidi has a B.S. in Biology, a B.S. in Zoology and a M.S. in Biology from Humboldt State University.

JOHNATHAN CENTONI
Biologist – Video Analyst

Our Team 2

John has worked for MARE since 2014. John is a AAUS scientific diver and has performed SCUBA-based PISCO biodiversity surveys, worked on the Channel Islands National Park Kelp Forest Monitoring Program, and conducts subtidal SCUBA surveys as part of both the MLPA baseline and long-term monitoring programs. John holds a B.S in Biology with a marine emphasis and a M.S. in Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University studying abalone and sea urchin competition along the North Coast.

MADELEINE FROST
Biologist – Video Analyst

Madeleine, ‘Maddy’, has worked for MARE since 2022. Maddy is an undergraduate in her final year at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in wildlife conservation/management and minoring in scientific diving. She is a certified AAUS scientific diver with experience performing subtidal SCUBA surveys for a long-term monitoring program in Northern California.

CIERA GREEN
Biologist – Video Analyst

Our Team 4 Ciera has worked for MARE since 2023 as a biologist, where she identifies finfish, macro-invertebrates and habitat features on ROV footage. Ciera has a strong background and education in the biology field. She is a recent graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt State University with a bachelor’s in marine biology and a scientific diving minor. She has worked on projects that include monitoring marine protected areas, national marine sanctuaries, deep sea coral research, and North Coast fisheries surveys. She is an AAUS scientific diver and NAUI Dive master. She has participated in several research projects involving kelp restoration, migration patterns of Grey Whales, and has field survey experience with the Marine Mammal education program in Humboldt County. She has experience as a lab technician where she would educate the public on local fish species and perform day to day operations of the laboratory. Throughout her education and work history she has pursued experiences that enhance her knowledge in research, ocean conservation and educating others.

GRETA GOSHORN
Scientific Project Manager

Greta works on a variety of tasks at MARE, including data analysis/management and outreach. She has extensive research experience, including working with Reef Check California as an AAUS scientific diver, performing sea star wasting disease assessments, and researching predation stimuli effects on invasive snails. Greta is a NAUI SCUBA instructor and teaches at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt and the Catalina Island Marine Institute. She holds a B.S. in Biology with a marine emphasis from Humboldt State University.

NINA HIPKINS
Education and Outreach Coordinator

Our Team 5

Nina works as a Marine Educator at MARE, teaching middle and high schoolers about deep sea conservation, ecology, and the various technologies that can be used in marine research. She has a passion for marine conservation and teaching, which motivated her to become an educator. Nina holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

DAVID JEFFREY
Senior Engineer

David has over 25 years of deepwater ROV engineering design, build and troubleshooting experience, including co-design of the Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom ROV of ROVs and Deep Rover, Deep Flight and Challenger manned submersibles. David upgrades and maintains the offshore vehicle systems in a state of readiness.

ANDY LAUERMANN
Vice President of Science and Operations

Andy is MARE’s lead scientist for collecting and analyzing video and still photographic ROV imagery. He oversees ROV operations at sea and supervises a team of biologists and GIS experts in our Blue Lake, California office. Andy is a marine biologist with over 23 years of experience planning and performing ROV field operations in California, Oregon and Washington state coastal waters. He is an expert ROV pilot and navigator who has lead or co-lead over 55 surveys, including baseline characterizations of MPAs around the Northern Channel Islands and within all of California’s MPA regions. Andy has a B.S. from Humboldt State University.

ABBY NICKELS
Director of Outreach & Community Engagement

Abby has spent the last decade of her career managing and advancing non-profit environmental education programs. Most recently, she held the position of Associate Director of Education at the Aquarium of the Bay. Previously, she was the LiMPETS Program Manager for the Greater Farallones Association. In that role, she trained and supported LiMPETS teachers and students in their coastal monitoring efforts. Abby earned her B.S. in Marine Biology from the U.C. Santa Cruz and her M.S. in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University.

KYLE PALMER
Chief Engineer

Kyle is MARE’s Chief Engineer, supporting offshore expeditions and maintaining our fleet of vehicles. He is a licensed electrical engineer and also a published scientist with a background in environmental systems. Kyle is talented in many aspects of engineering, fabrication, design and the sciences. He has worked in many facets of electrical design, from small-scale embedded circuit board designs that require nanowatt power consumption to megawatt-scale solar plus storage microgrid designs. Kyle is a licensed electrical engineer has B.S. in Environmental Resources Engineering form Humboldt State University.

SAM PARKER
Biologist

Sam leads MARE’s video post-cruise analyses. He has an extensive background in conducting scientific research, having spent 11 years as a Pacific Halibut Commission Biologist in Alaska. He is a licensed drone pilot and has worked for MARE since 2016 serving in a variety of roles: ROV/drone pilot, navigator and video analyst. Sam has a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University.

DIRK ROSEN
Founder & President

Dirk has over 30 years of deep-water engineering experience. He was president and director of Deep Ocean Engineering before selling the company in 2000. At DOE, he was project manager and test pilot for all three Deep Rover 1,000 meter-rated manned submersibles, and a designer/operator of the Phantom and Bandit ROV systems. At Hawkes Ocean Technologies he served as project manager for the 11,000 meter rated Challenger, a manned submersible designed to go to the deepest point in the ocean, the Marianas Trench. He served on the board of Save the Bay for nine years.

ISAAC TRAVERS
Software Engineer – Data Analyst

Isaac has worked for MARE since 2020. Isaac a large toolbox of Software Engineering skills including over 15 years of experience in Computer Programming, Mathematical Modelling and Statistical Analysis Isaac brings the expertise needed to adapt to a modern, complicated and changing technical environment. He has a M.S. in Computer Science with a focus on Machine Learning Research from Humboldt State University.