Aaron Hartman, PhD

Dr. Aaron Hartmann is a tropical marine ecologist with over 15 years of experience in coral reef research, specializing in coral reproduction, reef ecology, and restoration technology. His work on coral reproduction examines how corals pass traits to their offspring and adapt to changing environments. In reef ecology, Aaron focuses on the rules governing community formation, particularly what leads to the dominance of calcifying organisms.

Recently, Aaron has been leveraging his ecological expertise to develop innovative restoration tools. These include small settlement units known as ARMS and larger floating geodesic structures called Arks to create small reef communities. Supported by significant grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense, he and colleagues are testing these technologies in Madagascar and Puerto Rico.

Aaron’s career is marked by a strong track record of securing research grants and publishing influential studies. Before joining PIMS, he earned a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and held positions as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and as a Lecturer and Research Scientist at Harvard University. At PIMS, Aaron integrates his reef restoration initiatives with the organization’s mission in The Bahamas and beyond.