In August 1992 he was appointed Senior Associate Director and Director of Research, overseeing some 350 research projects underway at the Institution at a given time and a scientific and technical staff of more than 500 of the Institution's 850 year-round employees. Following a national search, Dr. Gagosian was named the Institution's seventh Director January 7, 1994. He has participated in 14 oceanographic research cruises, seven for which he was chief scientist, and four major field programs. Professor Howard Roe DSc, BSc Director of the Southampton Oceanography Centre since 1999. A biological oceanographer, Professor Roe started his career by researching into age determination in the great whales, moved into studying distribution patterns and processes in midwater oceanic animals with particular reference to vertical distributions,diel migrations and feeding cycles.
Specialist groups are copepods and to a lesser extent, decapods and mysids.
He led the biological characterisation of a deep abyssal site in the international feasibility study into radioactive waste disposal. Developed net systems, light meters and most recently acoustic methods for coupling together oceanic biology and physics. Professor Roe coordinated the development of Southampton Oceanography Centre and is now firmly embedded in the management of the Centre. Mike Sinclair carried out his post graduate studies on plankton ecology at Southampton University, UK, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Initial work was on the provision of scientific advice on herring fisheries, and research in fisheries oceanography.