Mark A. Hixon

Professor Emeritus of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology
B.A. 1973, M.A. 1974, Ph.D. 1979, University of California, Santa Barbara

NOTE:  Although Dr. Hixon still maintains a research laboratory at OSU, he is now the
Hsiao Endowed Chair in Marine Biology at the:

                    Department of Biology
                    University of Hawaii at Manoa
                    2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 216
                    Honolulu, HI 96822-2216
                    phone:  808-956-6427
                    hixonm@hawaii.edu

Mark Hixon was a professor in OSU's Department of Zoology from 1984 to 2012, and is now professor emeritus in the new Department of Integrative Biology.  Mark's research is in "ecology," which is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, and "conservation biology," which is ecology as applied to conserving ecosystems and species.  Mark's expertise is the ecology and conservation biology of coastal marine fishes in both temperate and tropical regions, emphasizing direct undersea observations and experiments. Mark completed his Ph.D. at U.C. Santa Barbara, where he studied kelp-forest fishes, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Hawaii, where he began his studies of coral-reef fishes. Off Oregon, he participated in long-term manned submersible studies of groundfish communities inhabiting the outer continental shelf. He has also published on projects in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, the Great Barrier Reef, and French Polynesia (see "Publications"). His research has clarified mechanisms that naturally regulate populations and sustain biodiversity of marine fishes. In 2004, Mark was honored by ISI Citation Index as the most cited author on coral reefs in the Northern and Western Hemispheres in the past decade. A Fulbright Senior Scholar and Aldo Leopold Leadership Program Fellow, he serves as a subject-matter editor for the scientific journals Ecology, Ecological Monographs, and PeerJ, on the board of editors of Coastal Management, and as an ad hoc editor for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  He was an executive appointee of both the Clinton and Bush administrations to the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee, which he chaired for 3 years.  Mark also served on the National Science Foundation Geosciences Advisory Committee as chair of the ocean science subcommittee.  For more information on Dr. Hixon's career, view this article or select "Biographic Profiles" and other tabs from the menu.  To view his TED talk about the lionfish invasion, click here, and to view his TED talk about coral reef conservation, click here.

This web page was designed as a birthday gift by my daughter Chelsea at Suite 7 Creative.  Thanks so much, Chelsea -- I love you!