News from Tulane

The Water Institute of the Gulf has hired veteran researcher and Tulane University alumnus Ernst Peebles as director of coastal systems ecology. Peebles has studied coastal ecology and estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean for more than 30 years. 

His research has focused on understanding and quantifying how a variety of coastal plankton, fish and shellfish respond to physical and human-induced system changes.

Peebles currently works as an associate professor at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, serving as lead investigator on projects with more than $7 million in public, private and nonprofit funding.

Peebles' faculty experience includes affiliations with Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of Southern Mississippi. He has served as a reviewer for the National Academy of Science and the National Science Foundation, as well as a committee member for the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council.

A Louisiana native, Peebles earned a bachelor's degree in biology and environmental studies from Tulane in 1983. He earned a master's and doctorate in marine science from the University of South Florida.

"His study of coastal systems ecology is incredibly applicable to the challenges faced by the fishing industry in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast," says Christopher D'Elia, dean of the LSU School of the Coast and Environment.

The Water Institute of the Gulf was formed in 2011 as a nonprofit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal and deltaic systems. In collaboration with public, private and academic partners, The Water Institute of the Gulf was founded to preserve and protect the U.S. Gulf Coast environment, a major source of natural and industrial resources, while developing and sharing water management technology worldwide.