Max is the Principal Investigator in the Chemical Oceanography Lab. Originally from France, he completed his academic training in environmental sciences and oceanography in several countries including France, the UK, New Zealand and Hawaii. He enjoyed Hawaii so much that he decided to pursue his PhD in oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southampton (UK) before joining the faculty at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. When he is not at the lab, Max enjoys surfing, mountain biking, travelling to exotic surf destinations and exploring California with his family.

Contact: maxime.grand@sjsu.edu

Carol is a proud first-generation Chinese American college graduate. She earned her B.S. in Marine Science at California State University Monterey Bay at the end of 2021.

Carol came into MLML with an interest in studying trace metals. Her current research is focused on using the programmable flow injection (pFI), which is an automated microfluidic nutrient analyzer. Her thesis includes laying the groundwork to see if the pFI is a viable analyzer to measure total dissolved iron.

In her free time, she loves to play with her dogs and cat, go to the beach, lift weights, and crochet.

Contact: carol.chen@sjsu.edu

Seamus is originally from Benicia, CA, and received his BS in Oceanography from the CSU Maritime Academy.

His current research focuses on developing a mid-range pH analyzer that is accurate to a "weather" uncertainty of 0.02. His thesis will incorporate this pH protocol with Programmable Flow Injection (pFI) technology, which can analyze oceanographic parameters such as nutrients and trace metals. His goal is to contribute to making a PFI benchtop unit a "One-Stop Shop" that would be welcome in any marine lab.

In 2022, Seamus spent three weeks at the Roatan Institute of Marine Science in Roatan, Honduras, studying the Meso-American Reef system. In 2023, he was a chemical oceanographer on the A16N GO-SHIP cruise on board the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown. Contracted by the University of Miami, he sampled and analyzed nearly 3,000 pH samples along the 20W longitude from Spain to Iceland.  In 2024, he was contracted by the USGS as a chemical oceanographer on three cruises in the Gulf of Mexico, where he studied the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the surrounding mesophotic and deep benthic communities. These cruises were aboard the NOAA Ship Pisces out of Pascagoula, MS, and the R/V Point Sur, operated by the University of Southern Mississippi out of Gulfport, MS.

In his free time, Seamus enjoys biking, walking his dog, and scuba diving.

Contact: seamus.jameson@sjsu.edu

Katie is originally from San Jose, California, and has lived in the area all her life.

I got a BS in chemistry with a minor in physics from SJSU.

Her current research is focused on functionalizing biochar with seawater for a cheap and practical method of removing excess phosphate from agricultural runoff water.

Katie is currently teaching general chemistry labs at SJSU, and helping students learn the basics of lab technique while having fun in the process. When she isn’t in the lab, she’s usually playing video games and TTRPGs (like Dungeons and Dragons) with friends.

Contact: katheryn.berkeland@sjsu.edu

Katie is a proud alumni of Texas A&M University at Galveston where she received a B.S.  Degree with a concentration in marine biology. Katie is a lab rat who enjoys learning the latest analyzing and sampling techniques and sharing her knowledge with others. Her love for chemical oceanography comes from the diversity of its application, being a marine biogeochemist allows her to bridge the gap between different fields of study. Currently, Katie is launching a fermentation lab, located at the shore lab, that utilizes algae and anaerobic bacteria to produce biohydrogen and bio fertilizer. In her downtime Katie is an avid reader, runner, hiker, coffee drinker, knitter and tide pool adventurer. Gig'em Aggies!

Contact: katie.graves@sjsu.edu

Lauren is from Whidbey Island, Washington. She received her B.S. in oceanography from the University of Washington.

Her research will be focused on using programmable Flow Injection (pFI) analysis to further methods for measuring key oceanographic nutrients.

Lauren has spent time working and studying in Spain and Costa Rica. When she isn’t in the lab, she’s usually at the beach, hiking, or biking.

Contact: lauren.bayne@sjsu.edu

Marine is now working at MBARI as a Data Specialist.

She is originally from France but has spent much of her life in the Pacific Northwest, where she received her B.S. in oceanography from the University of Washington. Her current research is focused on using programmable Flow Injection (pFI) analysis to develop new methods for measuring key oceanographic nutrients, such as phosphate and nitrate. As part of her thesis, she plans to apply these methods to quantify nutrient removal efficiencies of select macroalgae as potential bioremediation strategies. Additionally, she plans to collaborate with researchers to fully automate the pFI instrument and obtain a time-series in Monterey Bay.

Marine has spent time working and studying in exciting places, including in New Zealand, Monaco, Cape Cod, and Friday Harbor. When Marine isn’t in the lab, she’s usually out surfing, biking, or at a local brewery. Contact: marine.lebrec@sjsu.edu