Dr Jeroen Molemaker is an physical Oceanographer with an interest in oceanic phenomena that are beyond the power of satellites of observe and only recently within the power of numerical models to simulate. The small scale flows, also known as the submesoscale is thought to be of critical importance for the global energy budget of the ocean, the exchange of properties between the ocean and the atmosphere, and on the bio-geochemistry of the upper ocean. He is the founder of the Marine Operations program at UCLA and has lead it since it's inception in 2014.

After graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in AOS, Laura has been the Captain of the Zodiac since Fall 2022. She leads educational field trips and captains research cruises for which she is responsible for operating and maintaining a myriad of scientific instruments, as well as oversees lab organization and supplies. She is interested in how changing conditions affect life in coastal ecosystems and how those effects can be mitigated. Outside of science, Laura tutors middle and high school students in a variety of subjects and loves to run, hike, skateboard, do yoga, read, swim in the ocean, and generally spend as much time outside as possible!

After participating with Marine Operations in 2016, and graduating from UCLA with an Environmental Science B.S., Kristie Ashby now works as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst with Evari GIS Consulting, Inc., a San Diego company that contracts locally and nationally to create, analyze and present geographic information. The company provides GIS services in support of  stormwater, civil engineering, planning, transportation, and smart city, Internet of Things (IoT) projects.  

Michael Hicks was an intern during his time as a Math and Atmospheric and Oceanic Science student. He worked on the Hydrofoil attachment for one of our instruments known as an ADCP, which is now regularly used to collect water current data.