David A Caron is a Professor in the Marine Environmental Biology section of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California. He has degrees in Microbiology (B.S.) and Oceanography (M.S.) from the University of Rhode Island, and in Biological Oceanography (Ph.D.) conferred jointly by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research interests involve marine and freshwater microbial ecology. Ongoing research programs include studies of harmful blooming-forming species of microalgae, and investigations of the biodiversity and physiology of tropical, temperate and polar microbial communities. He has authored or co-authored more than 180 scientific articles and book chapters. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the International Society of Protistologists, The Oceanography Society and the International Society of Microbial Ecology. He is a recipient of the Mary Sears Chair for Excellence in Biological Oceanography (from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), the Seymour Hutner Award (from the Society of Protozoologists), the Albert S. Raubenheimer Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Service, and a past president of the International Society of Protistologists.

Marine, freshwater microbial ecology