Nicole Raineault, Peerside Chair

I am the Chief Scientist for the Florida Institute of Oceanography and oversee the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence grants program. My research background is in marine geology from the coastal zone to the deep sea. I was the Chief Scientist and Vice President of Exploration and Science Operations with the Ocean Exploration Trust, the non-profit organization that owns and operates the ocean exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus and for a decade I coordinated, built, and led deep-sea exploration expeditions involving advanced robotic technologies including ROVs. I worked with the deep-sea scientific community globally to identify key technologies to integrate with the ROV and ship to enhance the scientific capabilities of the program. I also mentored undergraduate and graduate student interns and managed a staff of scientists, navigators, and seafloor mapping experts. Throughout my tenure at OET, I advanced the use of technologies to improve the Scientist Ashore Program to increase the scientific capacity of the program by involving experts on shore. The program went from an informal list of a dozen researchers to over 200 subscribed researchers annually participating in various aspects of the program and the development of an online collaborative tool for scientists to interact with the shipboard team, data, and video streams. For Peerside, I am developing expedition, program, and science tools for an integrated at-sea and remote science experience.