Steven A. Murawski, Ph.D., is Professor and the Downtown Partnership/Peter Betzer Endowed Chair of Biological Oceanography at the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Murawski is a fishery biologist specializing in population and ecosystem dynamics. He has 45+ years of professional experience in both government and academia. Murawski worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for 35 years, last serving as the Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor for the National Marine Fisheries Service. Murawski was a principal scientific advisor to the US government during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Subsequently, he was the principal investigator on a $36 million, 17-institution grant to study the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Currently, Murawski serves as the director of the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT), a cooperative agreement between USF and NOAAs Office of Coast Survey. Additionally, Murawski serves on the National Science Foundations Gulf Environmental Protection and Stewardship Board. He is an awardee of the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, four NOAA Bronze Medals, a recipient of the Senior Executive Service Meritorious Service Award, conferred by President Obama, and the American Fisheries Society Award of Excellence, among many other professional recognitions. His Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology was conferred in 1984 from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.