Prof Alan Jamieson

Alan is a world-leading expert in marine biology, autonomous deep ocean vehicles and is the author of the book Hadal Zone: Life in the Deepest Oceans. He has published over 110 scientific papers and participated, and often led, over 70 deep sea expeditions. He recently concluded as the Chief Scientist on the 5- Deeps expedition, a $50M round the world expedition using a bespoke full ocean depth rated 2-person submersible. He has designed multiple Hadal-Landers and has deployed them over 500 times in the ultra-deep subduction trenches of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding areas. He has also descended 12 times into the deep sea, typically at hadal depths in a full ocean depth rated submersible and is one of the very few people to have visited depths greater than 10,000m more than once. Professor Jamieson started out at Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen UK where he progressed from mechanical technician to senior lecturer in Marine Biology (2000-2016), and later moved to Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences as a senior lecturer in Marine Ecology from 2016-2021. He gained a PhD in 2004 for his thesis entitled Autonomous lander technology for biological research at mid-water, abyssal and hadal depths. He is an international authority on the deepest places in the oceans known as the ‘hadal zone’, meaning depths between 6000 and 11,000 metres. He has published over 120 peer reviewed scientific papers and book chapters and monographed the book The Hadal Zone: life in the deepest oceans for Cambridge University Press in 2015. He has participated in nearly 70 deep-sea expeditions on over 26 research vessels spanning every ocean. He also pioneered the design, construction and operations of the full ocean depth Hadal-Landers and has deployed these baited camera systems over 500 times throughout the world’s deepest trenches.