Famous Marine Biologist
[Updated December 15, 2008]

Perhaps the most world-renowned member of the greater Ducklow family is Dr. Hugh William Ducklow. He is a professor in the field of marine science whose focus is understanding ocean-influenced ecosystems. Those studying ocean life food cycles and related ocean-centric biology often reference his work as a foundation for their research. For many years Hugh has performed his research as a faculty member of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science which is part of the College of William and Mary. Most recently he has also been associated with the Ecosystems Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He is age 59.



Hugh William Ducklow
Cropped Photo Courtesy of Hugh Ducklow Photo Collection


One reason Hugh may be well respected is he personally has led many teams of graduate students on high sea adventures. Several expeditions have been to the Antarctic Ocean to collect information and observe types and levels of plankton in the ice and water. During a 1996 expedition he and his students spent three days in a storm with 70-foot waves pounding their research vessel. Passengers strapped themselves into their beds at night to keep from flying out! On a more recent trip Hugh and several students were trapped in icy Antarctic seas for a month

A measure of Hugh’s highly recognized expertise is the shear number of results received when you "goggle" his name. Well over 7,500 hits occur using “Hugh Ducklow,” and over 14,000 results occur using “H. W. Ducklow.” The references to Hugh and his work are so ubiquitous that in order to effectively research the Ducklow family using a search engine, one must select search parameters to exclude his name.

You may wonder in which branch of the Ducklow family Hugh fits into? He is the great, great grandson of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow, descending from Charles and Eva Ducklow of Wilton, Wisconsin [see footnote]. Hugh grew-up in Appleton, Wisconsin and attended college at Harvard were he was awarded several degrees including his PhD.

His marine science research work continues to be highly recognized and his expertise eagerly leaned upon. Hugh’s success in his field reflects well on all of us in the greater Ducklow family; a collective tip of our hat to him.

If you wish to learn more about Hugh Ducklow's research and how it relates to understanding global-warming, there is very well-done half-hour video interview of Hugh on-line. Link to it here.

You may find a more complete biography here.

Footnote: Ducklow Pedigree: Hugh > William Jr. > William Sr. > Charles > Thomas & Elizabeth Ducklow

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