This year, the Big Ideas for Oceans seed grants are supporting four new projects aimed at advancing ocean health. The research focuses on seagrass ecosystems, carbon dioxide in seawater, kelp’s role in climate mitigation, and gender equity in the seafood sector. These projects have been awarded over half a million dollars by the Oceans Department and the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Fiorenza Micheli, Chair of the Oceans Department and co-director of the Center for Ocean Solutions, stated: “The Big Ideas for Oceans grant program helps ensure that oceans figure prominently in cutting-edge science and critical conversations about climate change and sustainability.” The program supports early-stage projects with potential to lead to breakthrough ocean knowledge and solutions.
The research teams will address various issues including climate adaptation, mitigation, modeling in the ocean, and strengthening gender equity in the seafood sector affected by environmental changes.
In 2025, marine heat waves impacted oceans globally. Such temperature changes affect marine life like endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Last year’s grant awardees focused on incorporating cultural knowledge into marine protections and testing electrical current effects on ocean organisms.
The Big Ideas for Oceans program provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 for up to two years through the Woods Institute for the Environment’s Environmental Venture Projects program.
Barnabas Daru will investigate how climate change disrupts seagrass-microbe associations using herbarium specimens and DNA sequencing technology. Xavier Basurto will lead a team analyzing blue economy frameworks to address gendered barriers within Madagascar’s and Indonesia’s blue food sectors. Olav Solgaard is developing a photonic sensor to measure dissolved carbon dioxide accurately. Brooke Weigel and Kristen Davis will study how giant kelp produces dissolved organic carbon under different conditions.
Micheli is also involved as a professor of oceans at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
