Graham made chairman

Dr. William “Monty” Graham has been named chairman of the University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine Science (DMS). Graham, a native of Danville, Ky., earned his Ph.D. in biology from the University of California Santa Barbara, a master of science in marine sciences from the University of California Santa Cruz and a bachelor of science degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Before coming to Southern Miss, Graham was a senior marine scientist at Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) for 16 years. Prior to his stint at DISL, he was a post-doctoral research associate at UCSB.

Graham has participated in research projects around the world including Croatia, Palau, Argentina, Chile, and Korea. His research interests include biological oceanography and zooplankton ecology specializing in ecology and biology of gelatinous plankton, such as jellyfish, and their role in heavily fished ecosystems.

Graham has been involved in numerous research projects; managed in excess of $10 million in grants and contracts; published more than 60 papers and technical reports; and was awarded the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, its most prestigious award in support of junior faculty.

Since 2004, Graham has served as principal investigator and manager of the Fisheries Oceanography of Coastal Alabama.

Following the Deepwater Horizon rig blowout in April 2010, Graham was one of the earliest recipients of a National Science Foundation Rapid Response grant.