Keynote Presentation
Friday evening, October 31st (Halloween!)
Dr. Beth Orcutt
Mysterious and Creepy Deep Sea Biodiversity - What is There to Preserve?
Being a place that it is hard for humans to access, the deep sea is simultaneously viewed as mysterious and creepy, with creatures that seem like they come from other planets. Yet the deep sea is the largest habitat for life on Earth with immense biodiversity that is essential for human well-being. In this talk, Dr. Beth Orcutt – an award winning deep-sea scientist – will take us on a journey to discover what lies below the surface with stunning video from deep-sea expeditions. The talk will also highlight emergent human uses of the deep sea, such as deep-sea mining, and how they might impact deep-sea biodiversity.
Beth is the Vice President for Research (VPR) at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Known for her time co-leading the Octopus Odyssey expedition aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (Too) during which four new species of octopus were discovered!
Dr. Beth Orcutt , Vice President for Research, Senior Research Scientist and Geomicrobiologist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Friday, October 31, 2025
7pm at the Nantucket Atheneum Great Hall
Free and open to the public.
About Dr. Beth Orcutt:
Beth Orcutt is a Senior Research Scientist and interim Vice President for Research at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in the USA. She directs the Deep Biosphere Laboratory which specializes in the study of the life of microbes in the deep sea and below the seafloor, seeking to unravel the mysteries of how microbes thrive in these environments and how their life impacts the cycling of elements of Earth. Her recent research focuses on documenting the services that microbes provide in deep sea ecosystems that may be impacted by emergent human uses of the seafloor, such as deep-sea mining and subseafloor carbon sequestration. Orcutt is the Director of the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA), and international network-of-networks focused on accelerating research of the crustal ocean biosphere to inform decision making. For her contributions to her field, Orcutt was recognized by the American Geophysical Union and Japan Geosciences Union with the Asahiko Taira Prize for Scientific Ocean Drilling Research in 2019. Orcutt has been chief scientist of numerous expeditions and cumulatively has spent over 600 days at sea.
Orcutt’s expertise in deep-sea mining impacts stems from over a decade of leadership experience directing diverse and international teams of scientists and students in the exploration of the deep sea. Using seafloor exploration assets and deep-sea observatories, her research has focused on discovering how “deep biosphere” microscopic life thrives in strange environments and how their living impacts global processes. Orcutt is a co-founder and co-instructor of the Deep-Sea Expedition Leadership Master Class, which trains early career professionals on how to lead effective deep-sea expeditions. At Bigelow Laboratory, she directs the Deep Biosphere Laboratory team. She has a Ph.D. in Marine Sciences from the University of Georgia.
