Scripps Marine Microbiologist Selected

as Packard Distinguished Lecturer

Farooq Azam’s research examines the vital role of microscopic organisms in shaping the future of the ocean’s ecosystems

Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego

Farooq Azam, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego distinguished professor of marine microbiology, was recently selected as a David Packard Distinguished Lecturer, the latest honoree in a series launched in 2000 by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).

Azam’s primary research in the Marine Biology Research Division at Scripps focuses on the ecology of marine bacteria and viruses, their diversity, and their population dynamics. His studies include the important biochemical and molecular adaptations of bacteria for life in the ocean environment.

Azam’s Dec. 9 lecture at the Monterey, Calif.-based institute, “The Microbial Sea Around Us,” described the vital role marine microbes play—at the micrometer scale—in structuring the ocean’s ecosystems and response to global change.

The David Packard Distinguished Lecture series “brings eminent ocean researchers to MBARI to educate… staff members on exciting developments in marine science and technology and forge closer ties with the top oceanographers in all fields.”

Previous Packard Lecturer honorees from Scripps Oceanography include Russ Davis (2006) and the late Fred Spiess (2003).

-- Mario C. Aguilera

January 26, 2010