He received his PhD degree in 2005 in Physical Oceanography from ODU, USA, which was followed by a 2-year postdoc in France, LEGOS-CNRS. His research interests range from mathematical modeling of marine ecosystems to descriptive physical oceanography. His main research focus is on exploring marine ecosystem and biogeochemical dynamics via the combination of modeling and data analyses, specifically focusing on the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Marmara and the Black Seas. Recently he is in an effort of establishing a blue growth center that will focus on promoting the sustainable growth of marine sectors at national scale.