Dr. Greg Skomal is one of the country’s leading shark scientists and a senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, where he directs the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. His career has taken him from the waters of the Arctic Circle to tropical coral reefs, but he is especially well known for his research on great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod.
Dr. Skomal and his research teams use technologies such as satellite tags, acoustic tracking, underwater cameras, and field observations to better understand where sharks travel, how they behave, and how they interact with their environment. His work has helped scientists and the public learn much more about the growing presence of white sharks in New England waters.
He earned his master’s degree in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island and his Ph.D. through Boston University’s Marine Program. In addition to conducting research, Dr. Skomal is an underwater explorer, photographer, author, and science communicator whose work has appeared in documentaries and television programs around the world.
Dr. Skomal is also the coauthor of Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark, which tells the story of his career studying one of the ocean’s most fascinating and misunderstood predators. His journey offers students an exciting look at what it means to turn a childhood fascination with sharks into a career built around science, exploration, conservation, and discovery.
