Jonathan Sherman

Growing up in Israel, I spent many weekends in the Mediterranean Sea where my love of the ocean begun. It was always clear to me that I would pursue a career in marine sciences. After serving in the Israeli Navy I completed my B.S. in Marine Biotechnology at the Ruppin Academic Center. During my undergrad I worked as a diving instructor at the Caesarea underwater archeological park as well as in the Red Sea. In addition, I worked at number of sailing clubs. After graduating, I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Tali Mass, at the University of Haifa as well as a teaching assistant in an oceanographic cruise course at the Ruppin Academic Center.

At Rutgers, I am currently starting my 5th year of the PhD program in Oceanography under the guidance of Dr. Paul Falkowski. My primary research interest is in biophysics of marine photosynthesis.

My PhD thesis focuses on characterizing the biophysical mechanisms and processes that control phytoplankton physiology and their photosynthetic efficiency. I am mostly interested in understanding how nutrients and light availability regulate this efficiency in the global ocean.

I aim to link fundamental mechanisms, based on laboratory studies, to ecologically relevant dynamics in the global ocean.