The Center for Ocean Leadership

COL connects federal, academic, nonprofit, industry, and education partners to form aligned, high-performing collaborations.

Flagship initiatives include: the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) and multi-agency observing and biodiversity networks such as Harmful Algal Bloom Observing (HABON) and Animal Telemetry (ATN) Networks.

COL designs and leads outcome-focused engagements that align decision-makers and technical experts around shared ocean priorities.

Examples include: Program coordination and international engagement via OceanObs’29, and community engagement on technology initiatives like the Underwater Glider User Group (UG2) and Surface Uncrewed Vehicle Network (SUN Fleet).

COL provides structured operational leadership for complex, multi-institution ocean initiatives to ensure sustained progress and accountability.

Current efforts include: Support for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the global Ocean Decade Coordination Office for Ocean Observing (DCO-OO), and related global observing strategies.

Our team has a proven track record of shaping the future of ocean science and technology through discovery, understanding, and action.

Meet Our Team

The Center for Ocean Leadership enhances ocean discovery through community-wide research programs we manage and support.

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Have questions about the new COL or ideas for collaboration? Use this form to get in touch with the Center for Ocean Leadership team.

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