Program: Ph.D., graduated 2018
Current Position: Oceanography Officer, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme

Biography: As the Oceanography Officer at SPREP, Dr. Robert Duncan McIntosh provides advice and support to SPREP and its Members on all issues relating to oceanography, ocean observing, ocean acidification, and climate change impacts on the marine environment and supports Pacific islands’ National Meteorological Services in developing oceanography and marine weather service programmes. Dr. McIntosh coordinates the Pacific Islands Global Ocean Observing System, manages the Pacific Partnership on Ocean Acidification, and serves as a Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Dr. McIntosh previously developed climate services with Pacific RISA at the University of Hawaii, served as the NOAA Coral Reef Management Fellow to American Samoa, and single-handedly sailed across the Pacific Ocean. He holds a PhD in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the University of Miami, and a bachelor’s in Physics from Vanderbilt University.

What was the most memorable–or the most influential–course taken as a Marine Affairs student?
Coming from a background in Physics and Physical Oceanography, I enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the Marine Affairs PhD. The freedom to take courses across disciplines from Computer Science, to Landscape Architecture, Economics, and Coastal and Ocean Law gave me the ability to round out my education and better bridge the gap between science and real-world practice.