GRAHAM SHIMMIELD
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
60 Bigelow Drive
East Boothbay
Maine 04544
U.S.A.
Biographic note
Graham Shimmield graduated from the University of Durham in Geology in 1981, and received a Ph.D.
in Marine Geochemistry from the University of Edinburgh in 1985. He was appointed to a tenured faculty
position as Lecturer in Chemical Oceanography in 1984, and promoted to Reader in 1995. In 1996, he
moved institution becoming the combined Director of Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS)
and the NERC-funded Institute, within the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML), a post he held for 12
years. From 1997-2008 he helped create the new University of the Highlands and Islands, chairing the
research programme. Currently, he holds the position of Executive Director and President of the Bigelow
Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, USA, since March 2008.
Graham's particular interest is in marine geochemistry, which includes the fundamental studies of
geochemical processes operating in ancient oceans through identifying indicators of ocean and climate
change (palaeoceanography), the biogeochemical cycling of modern oceans using naturally-occurring
radioisotopes, and examining human impacts and contamination in coastal and deep seas. From 1995-8 he
served on the international scientific steering committee of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and
several major UK and European science programmes, Whilst at SAMS, Graham developed the Northern
Seas programme, establishing the institution’s reputation in Arctic oceanography and was a member of
the UK International Polar Year Committee. He was Chairman of the European Census of Marine Life
Program, the regional contribution to the international CoML program, from 2004-8.
Graham has served on many strategic European national and international committees, including the UK
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Science Strategy Board. He has been President and vicepresident of the European Federation of Marine Science and Technology Societies (EFMS). He has had
significant involvement in marine biotechnology as the Managing Director of the European Centre for
Marine Biotechnology, and Chairman of the Board of GlycoMar Ltd, a small biotech start-up. Currently,
Graham is a Chairman of the joint industry International Scientific Advisory Board examining the
challenges of decommissioning oil and gas installations in the North Sea.
In 2000, Graham was awarded the title of Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. He is a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1998), and the Society of Biology (1999). He has published
over 65 scientific peer-reviewed articles.
Since arriving in Maine, Graham is serving on the boards of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory
Board, Maine Space Grant and Maine Sea Grant, and advisory boards for Maine Maritime Academy and
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. Recently, he has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership, and is the current President of the Northeast Association of Marine
and Great Lakes Laboratories.. In November 2011, Graham was named by MaineBiz as one of ten
“Nexters” helping to shape the future of Maine’s economy.