Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory is a Center for applied marine research based at UC Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute. The mission of the Benioff Lab is to leverage the power of science, technology, and collaboration to develop replicable and scalable solutions to restore the health of the ocean.
The Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory (formerly the Benioff Ocean Initiative) started in 2016 when ocean advocates Marc Benioff, co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, and his wife, Lynne Benioff, gifted $10 million to promote science-based ocean problem-solving at UCSB. The Benioffs renewed their commitment to UCSB in 2022 with an additional gift of $60 million to scale up the impact of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory and build out an even more ambitious portfolio of science based-solutions
The Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory’s goal is for the legacy of marine science to not just be about studying problems, but using this same science to fix them. The Benioff Lab works to identify the most pressing threats facing the ocean, and then convenes experts from academia, NGOs, civil society, business, and government to tackle these challenges together. This collaborative and interdisciplinary approach bridges the latest science and technology with policy, communications, and education to develop replicable and scalable solutions.
Solutions developed by the Benioff Lab include Whale Safe, a near-real time whale detection system aimed at reducing collisions between cargo ships and endangered whales in the Santa Barbara Channel, the San Francisco Bay, and now across North America. The Clean Currents Coalition, a global network of community-first, data-centric projects led by the Benioff Lab is working to turn off the tap of plastic pollution from rivers to the ocean. Other work includes advancing climate/oceans and blue carbon solutions; conducting research on the benefits of marine protected areas to inform management; and a growing portfolio of AI solutions that have been adapted to resolve threats to ocean health. The Benioff Lab also provides training and mentorship opportunities to UCSB students and leads programs to increase youth access to marine science, recognizing that everyone will be shaped by what the future of ocean health becomes and thus everyone needs to be engaged in ocean science and management.
Benioff Ocean Science Lab researchers also provide guidance on domestic and international marine policy, and develop practical, data-backed tools to address important ocean issues.
Meet the team of researchers in the Benioff Ocean Science Lab that is driving forward these solutions.
Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory is directed by Dr. Douglas McCauley, a Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology.
To learn more about Benioff Ocean Science Lab, visit https://bosl.ucsb.edu/