Advisory Bodies

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) invites qualified individuals to become members of the MBL Society. From its inception in 1888, the MBL Society has been guided by scientists who are invested in the MBL and its future. Under authority established by the Board of Trustees, members of the MBL Society serve in an advisory capacity and as a resource to provide scientific and other guidance at the request of the MBL leadership.

The MBL Society has hundreds of Members and Emeritus Members, who comprise scientists, dedicated alumni, and committed and informed friends with a history of discovery at, commitment to, and interest in the MBL and its programs.

The Science Council of the MBL Society is an advisory group consisting of not more than 15 scientists elected by Members of the MBL Society. The Science Council is an advisory group that advises the President/Director with respect to matters concerning MBL’s mission and its scientific and instructional endeavors.

The Science Council is led by a Co-Chairs, who are elected by Science Council members in consultation with the MBL Director.

More information on the Science Council can be found in the MBL Science Council Charter, the Bylaws and the MBL Society Membership and Procedures document.

Members of the Science Council of the MBL Society (2024-2025)

Resident Scientists

• Karen Echeverri (07/2023 – 06/2026)
• Rudolph Oldenbourg (07/2023 – 06/2026)  

Education Faculty

• Ricardo Araneda (07/2023 – 06/2026)
• Deborah Yelon (07/2023 – 06/2026)

At Large  

• Jack Costello (07/2020 – 06/2025)

Postdoc/Graduate Student  

• Sarah Walker (07/2023 – 06/2026)

The MBL Community Council is an advisory group consisting of not more than 15 members elected by Members of the MBL Society in good standing. The role of the MBL Community Council is to advise the MBL President/Director and Chief Operating Officer upon their request on general aspects of MBL community life connected to and essential for the MBL research and education missions, but not the research or education missions themselves. This includes, for example, housing, childcare, facilities, campus life, and Woods Hole/Falmouth community relations.

The Community Council is led by Co-Chairs, who are elected by Community Council members in consultation with the MBL Director.

More information on the Community Council can be found in the MBL Community Council Charter, the Bylaws and the MBL Society Membership and Procedures document.

Members of the Community Council of the MBL Society (2024-2025)

Resident Scientists

• Jennifer Morgan (07/2023-06/2026)

Research Scientists

• Scott Chimileski (07/2023 – 06/2026)

Whitman Center Scientists

• Paul Maddox (07/2021 – 06/2025)
• Jane Maienschein (07/2023 – 06/2026)

Education Faculty

• Scott Bennett (07/2023 – 06/2026)

Co-Chairs:

Amy Gladfelter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; MBL Whitman Center Scientist; MBL Fellow
Patrick La Riviere, University of Chicago; MBL Whitman Center Scientist; MBL Fellow

Committee Members:

• Zoe Cardon, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Ibrahim Cisse, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
• Daniel Colon-Ramos, Yale School of Medicine
• Karen Echeverri, Marine Biological Laboratory, New Research Organisms Committee Liaison
• Daniel Fletcher, University of California Berkeley
• Scott Fraser, University of Southern California
• Louis Kerr, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Abhishek Kumar, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Paul Maddox, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Rudolf Oldenbourg, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Josh Rosenthal, Marine Biological Laboratory, New Research Organisms Committee Liaison
• Hari Shroff, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Clare Waterman, National Institutes of Health 

Co-Chairs:

• Josh Rosenthal, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Karen Echeverri, Marine Biological Laboratory

Committee Members:

• Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, HHMI
• Abhishek Kumar, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Amy Gladfelter, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Jon Henry, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Lisa Abbo, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Mansi Srivastava, Harvard University
• Marko Horb, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Michael Levine, Princeton University
• Mitch Sogin, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Nicole King, University of California, Berkeley, HHMI
• Nipam Patel, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Patrick LaRiviere, University of Chicago
• Paul Kulesa, Stowers Institute for Medical Research

External reviews are critical to maintain the quality, standards, and performance of institutions and to position them to gain strength and perform at the highest levels of achievement. The Marine Biological Laboratory has undergone reviews every ten years since the early 1900’s, to evaluate our performance and our potential for the future in both research and education. Review committees are appointed by the Board of Trustees. Advisory reports are submitted to the President/Director and to the Board of Trustees and are used to provide strategic guidance to the MBL. Our most recent decennial review was held in 2015.