Dr. William (Monty) Graham became the Director for the Florida Institute of Oceanography in 2021. Dr. Graham earned his B.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, his M.Sc. in Marine Sciences, and his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz, after which he completed a year of postdoctoral oceanography research at the University of California Santa Barbara.
With 30 years of experience in ocean science research, education, leadership and advocacy, Dr. Graham has served on numerous national and international panels and boards, led development of key federal policy around ocean technologies and commercialization, led state and regional task forces, and served on advisory boards contributing to advancement of ocean observing and scientific research in the Gulf of Mexico and southeast United States.
Throughout his career, Dr. Graham has leveraged over $300 million in private, philanthropic, state and federal funds for the development of ocean science and technology infrastructure and research. He has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific articles, mostly in biological oceanography, focusing on jellyfish behavior and the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Gulf Coast region.