By Gail Gallessich

	Steven Gaines

Steven Gaines, Director of the Marine Science Institute, has been appointed dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, pending approval by UC President Mark Yudof and the Board of Regents.

“There are many environmental schools around the country that identify problems,” said Gaines. “The Bren school is a leader in finding solutions. I’m excited to be a part of this innovative program. I’m particularly excited about the novel master’s program with its focus on collaborative problem solving. Solving our environmental problems will require creative thinkers who can work with people from other complementary disciplines, and the Bren School is a leader in meeting this challenge.”

Gaines has served as a faculty member in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology since 1994. From 2002 to 2005, he served as acting vice chancellor for research, and in 2007 he was named acting dean of the Division of Mathematical, Life and Physical Sciences, a post he held until October 2008.

Chancellor Henry T. Yang, who called Gaines as an exemplary leader, said, “We are excited about the future of our Bren School and look forward to its continued success under Professor Gaines’s leadership.”

Gaines’s research focuses on marine ecology and conservation, sustainable fisheries, the design of marine reserves, and the impact of climate change on ocean ecosystems. Under his leadership, ground will soon be broken for UCSB’s new Outreach Center for Teaching Ocean Science (OCTOS), which will house state-of-the-art interactive exhibits to help connect students, educators, community groups, and the public with innovative educational programs based on the latest ocean science research.

His numerous activities at the national and international levels include currently serving as a science adviser for the Joint Ocean Committee and as a principal investigator for PISCO (Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans), a long-term consortium studying marine ecosystems throughout the Pacific. From 2003 to 2006 he held a prestigious Pew Maring Conservation Fellowship. Most recently, Gaines received the inaugural Marc J. Hershman Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. The scientific journal Nature recognized as its top research highlight for 2008 a paper Gaines co-authored with Christopher Costello, an associate at the Bren School, on an innovative fisheries management stratecy called “catch shares” that can reverse fisheries collapse.