Team : David Vaughan, Ph.D.

Board Member
Lead Scientist, Coral Reef Restoration Initiative

Dr. David Vaughan is Executive Director of the Tropical Research Laboratory and Director of the Center for Coral Reef Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in the Florida Keys. A distinguished and well-published aquaculture scientist, he has designed, built, and operated a multitude of marine projects and businesses since he received his Ph.D in Botany and Plant Physiology from Rutgers University in 1982. While at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI), Dr. Vaughan founded the Shellfish Culture Department in 1986 and the Aquaculture Division in 1991 and directed both until 2001. Also while at HBOI, he created the 60 acre Aquaculture Development Park, home to ACTED, the Aquaculture Center for Training, Education and Demonstration. Dr. Vaughan also created and was president of Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums Inc (ORA), the world’s largest marine reef hatchery. He founded the Shellfish Farmers Association and was its Director for 4 years and has been on the Board of Directors of the Florida Aquaculture Association for 15 years.