Brent Roman
Papers
10
Total Citations
392
H-Index
8
About
Brent Roman is a pioneering ocean technologist and roboticist whose work has fundamentally transformed how scientists monitor marine microbial life and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Roman has devoted his career to designing and deploying autonomous instruments capable of conducting sophisticated molecular analyses in the ocean itself — eliminating the delays and limitations of traditional ship-based sampling. His most celebrated contribution is the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), an underwater robotic laboratory that uses DNA probe technology to detect harmful organisms and toxins remotely and in real time. This platform underpins his most-cited work, including the development of assays for the algal toxin domoic acid (84 citations) and coordinated HAB ecology studies across Monterey Bay (61 citations). Roman has extended this vision to coordinated robotic networks tracking microbial dynamics in the deep chlorophyll maximum (61 citations) and autonomous eDNA collection across 4,200 km of the Pacific Ocean (32 citations). His work bridges marine biology, robotics, and molecular science, enabling high-frequency, adaptive ocean observations that were previously impossible. With research spanning harmful pathogen detection, estuarine microbiology, and open-ocean biodiversity, Roman's contributions have reshaped ocean observing capabilities for the next generation of marine scientists.
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