Chuanmin Hu , PhD

Chuanmin Hu received the B.S. degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China, and the Ph.D. degree in physics (ocean optics) from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, in 1997. He is currently a Professor with the College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, where he is also the Director of the Optical Oceanography Laboratory. He has been a Principal or a Co-principal Investigator of several projects funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Geological Survey to study river plumes, harmful algal blooms or red tides, water quality and benthic habitat health, and connectivity of various ecosystems. He also dedicates his effort in establishing a Virtual Antenna System and a Virtual Buoy System to generate and distribute customized satellite data products in near real-time. He is a member of several professional organizations, and in 2013 he received the Gulf Guardian Award from the EPA for his contribution in research and service for the Gulf of Mexico. For the DEEPEND project, he and his group will collect and combine field and remote sensing data to characterize the upper ocean environment in the northern Gulf of Mexico to help interpret the deep ocean habitats.