COPEPOD (main)   >   About Todd O'Brien

Todd D. O'Brien, Oceanographer

Todd O'Brien retired from NOAA in April 2025,   but is still active in plankton research.
Updated contact info for Todd is available in the MetaZooGene web page.




NOAA Fisheries / Marine Ecosystems Division   (2004 - 2025)
  • COPEPOD:   project lead and developer (2004 - 2025)

  • COPEPODITE:   project lead and developer (2009 - 2025)

  • NAUPLIUS:   project lead and developer (2010 - 2025)

National Oceanographic Data Center - Ocean Climate Laboratory   (1996 - 2004)
  • World Ocean Database plankton data manager and developer (1996-2004)

  •     World Ocean Database 2018, 2013, 2009, 2005   (external co-author/consultant)
        World Ocean Database 2001, 1998   (plankton database developer and lead)

Scientific Working Group Membership:
  • MetaZooGene:   SCOR WG157 Marine zooplankton biodiversity based on
    DNA metabarcoding and reference DNA sequence databases (2019 - completion+)

  • IGMETS:   International Group for Marine Ecological Time Series (2013 - completion+)

  • WGZE:   ICES Working Group on Zooplankton Ecology (2002 - present)
  • WGPME:   ICES Working Group on Phytoplankton & Microbial Ecology (2010 - present)
  • WGIMT:   ICES Working Group on Integrated Morphological and Molecular Taxonomy (2013 - present, since SGIMT)

  • TrendsPO:   IOC-UNESCO working group to investigate global Trends of Phytoplankton in the Ocean (2016 - completion)

  • WG125:   SCOR Global Comparisons of Zooplankton Time Series (2004 - completion)
  • WG137:   SCOR Global Patterns of Phytoplankton Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems (2010 - completion)