CURRICULUM VITAE
Robert D. Vaillancourt
EDUCATION
January 1996: PhD, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School
of Oceanography in biological oceanography (Elijah Swift, advisor).
Ph.D. dissertation: Physiological study of the autotrophic marine
dinoflagellate Pyrocystis noctiluca including light absorption,
photosynthesis and growth.
May 1991: MS, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography (Paul Hargraves, advisor). Masters Thesis: Phylogenetic study of genetic relatedness within and between three species of marine diatoms based on molecular characterization of plastid DNA using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).
May 1984: BS University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Biochemistry and chemistry.
CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS
Biogeochemical fluxes in the marine environment. Role of light
and nutrients in controlling growth of phytoplankton community
structure, rate processes and cycling of materials.
Photosynthesis in the marine environment: influences of the light,
chemical and physical environments on photosynthesis and taxonomic
diversity of marine phytoplankton communities.
Bio-optics of marine phytoplankton and particulates as related
to species, size, shape and pigment composition.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE and POSITIONS
HELD
February 2003 to present. Doherty Associate Research Scientist,
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY. Environmental
control of primary productivity in the coastal and oceanic waters
using isotope tracers and variable fluorescence techniques.
January 2000-03: Postdoctoral research scientist, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY.
July 1996 to December 1999: Postdoctoral researcher and adjunct principle investigator at Bigelow Laboratory studying the bio-optical properties of marine phytoplankton and optics of marine systems. Field studies of scattering and absorption properties in Gulf of Maine and western Mediterranean Sea.
September 1998: Light absorption of particulate and dissolved fractions in coastal waters of Porto Conte and Alghero Bays, Sardinia, Italy. A comparison study of the in-situ spectral absorption features of particulate and dissolved substances with the determination of dissolved organic carbon by high temperature combustion, and phytoplankton species composition by HPLC pigment analysis and microscopic identifications.
July and September 1995: Bio-optical variability and its relation to hydrographic features in Long Island Sound, New York Harbor and contiguous waters. Subcontractor for Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA to study the
1993-1994: Seasonal variation of 14C-primary productivity in Massachusetts Bay as part of a baseline study of conditions in Mass Bay prior to implementation of new sewage treatment plant. Joint project with Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, Battelle Ocean Sciences and the University of Rhode Island.
1991-1992: Graduate research assistantship studying the species composition of bioluminescent zooplankton from the Subarctic North Atlantic south of Iceland as part of the ONR sponsored Marine Light Mixed Layer project.
1987-1991: Long-term bacteriological survey of Narragansett Beach and adjacent offshore waters. Collection, processing and analysis of water samples for bacterial contaminants as indicators of sewage runoff in Narragansett Bay and Narrow River, RI.
1988-1990: Subcontractor with Applied Science Associates, Narragansett, RI. Macroalgae and water quality surveys of coastal waters around New England.
1987-1989: Graduate research assistantship studying the distribution of resting spores of the nuisance brown-tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens in shallow embayments of Narragansett Bay, RI.
June 1984 to April 1986: Laboratory technician, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA. Trace metal technician, CEIMIC corp., Narragansett, RI. Pond-Watchers program coordinator, URI.
TEACHING and MENTORING
Adjunct professor for Introductory Oceanography (ENV1111) at Fairleigh-Dickinson
Univ. Fall 2004.
Mentor for undergraduate REU research interns at Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory, summer 2002 and 2003.
Contributed to web-based classroom (GLACIER program, http://www.glacier.rice.edu/)
from research vessel N.B. Palmer while in East Antarctica (NBP-00-08).
Chemistry lab instructor for BLOOM high school summer studies
program, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Spring 1998 and
1999.
Guest lecturer, Gulf of Maine Spring Seminar Series, University
of New England, February, 1998 and 1999.
Rules Judge for CORE New England Regional Ocean Science Bowl,
University of New England, February, 1998.
Teaching assistant for introductory Oceanography course at URI,
1990 (OCG 401).
SOCIETY MEMEBERSHIP
Member of Columbia University chapter of Sigma Xi.
Member of American Geophysical Union
Member of The Oceanography Society
RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSALS
Current and past funded:
"Development of Satellite Primary Productivity
Algorithms for Coastal Waters". NASA CU02474401 awarded to
RD Vaillancourt. Amount: $142,984. Period: Oct 2005 - Dec 2008.
" Collaborative Research: A Lagrangian SeaSoar Study of the
coupling of circulation, mixing, and productivity at a shelfbreak
front". OCE 00-02390 awarded to R. Houghton, J. Marra and
R. Vaillancourt. Amount: $383,432. Period: 9/1/00-8/31/04.
"Phytoplankton composition and photosynthetic properties
associated with water masses in the George V. region of Antarctica".
NSF Office of Polar Programs SGER awarded to RDV and R. Sambrotto
(OPP 01-05104). Amount: $39,318. Period: 2/15/2001 to 1/31/2002.
"Optical variability in Sardinian Coastal waters (Sardinia,
Italy): the absorption of visible light by particulate and dissolved
materials and its relation to DOM concentration and phytoplankton
species composition." Subcontract award to R.D.V. by Battelle/Consorzio
Ricerche Associate, Tramariglio, Sardinia, Italy. Amount: $24,000.00
US.
Period: 2 months.
"Spectral backscattering and absorption as related to taxonomy
and size among classes of cultured marine phytoplankton."
NOAA Research grant #NA87EC0550 awarded to RDV. Amount: $47,468.00
US. Period: 4 months.
FIELD EXPERIENCE
RV Endeavor: SCOPEX project in Great South Channel, Massachusetts
Bay. Plankton sampling; Spring, 1989.
RV Marlin, RV Seabreeze and RV Navaho: Shipboard C14 photosynthetic
rate measurements, plankton net hauls and related biological measurements
and hydrographic work in Massachusetts Bay as part of a MWRA/Battelle
Ocean Sciences/URI baseline survey; biweekly from Spring 1993
to Fall 1995.
RV Diane G. Bio-optical profiling of Long Island and Rhode Island
Sounds, New York Harbor and contiguous waters; subcontract with
Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA; Spring and summer, 1996.
RV Albatross, C-14 photosynthetic and calcification rate measurements
in the Gulf of Maine, Fall, 1996.
RV Delaware II, Bio-optical measurements of surface waters in
the Gulf of Maine; Fall, 1997.
RV Attili Regelo, Bio-optical, hydrographic and biological surveys
in coastal Sardinia, Italy (Mediterranean Sea), Fall, 1998.
RV Edwin Link, bio-optical surveys in Gulf of Maine, Summer, 1999.
RV Endeavor, photosynthetic quantum yield measurements in Mid-Atlantic
Bight. Summer, 2000.
RV Townsend Cromwell. Variable fluorescence of phytoplankton in
cyclonic eddys adjacent to the Hawaiian archipeligo. Fall, 2000.
RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, Variable fluorescence of phytoplankton
along the Antarctic shelf and shelf break between 140 to 150 W.
Longitude. Austral summer, 2000-01.
RV Endeavor, Photosynthetic rate and efficiency determinations
by radio-isotope and fluorescence methods at shelf-break upwelling
region in mid-Atlantic Bight. Summer, 2001 and 2002.
MEETING PRESENTAIONS
"Light absorption and photosynthesis in Pyrocystis noctiluca",
Poster, ASLO/PSA 1994 Joint meeting, Miami, FL.
"Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms of chloroplast
DNA of the marine diatom genus Thalassiosira", Poster, Northeast
Algal Symposium, Spring 1991 Woods Hole, MA.
"A taxonomic survey of the optical properties of marine phytoplankton
with special emphasis on the backscattering coefficient",
Poster, 2000 Ocean Sciences Meeting, January, 2000. San Antonio,
TX.
"Summer Plankton Production and Nutrient Consumption Patterns
in the Mertz Glacier Region of East Antarctica", Co-author
on seminar given at Ocean Sciences meeting, Feb 2002, Honolulu,
HI, with R. Sambrotto (speaker).
"Fast Repetition-Rate Fluorometry Across the New England
Shelf Break Front Summer 2002." Vaillancourt, Marra, Prieto
& Hales. AGU Ocean Sciences talk AS52H-04, Portland OR January
30, 2004.
"On the relationship betweej carbon fixation efficiency and
bio-optical characteristics of phytoplankton". Prieto, Vaillancourt
and Marra. ASLO/TOS meeting poseter, Honolulu, HI, February 2004.
"Physical and Biogeochemical Hydrography of the NESPEX Study
Area in June and August, 2002". Hales, Hebert, Houghton,
Marra, Prater, Vaillancourt. AGU Ocean Sciences talk OS32B-24,
Portland OR January 30, 2004. "The Biological Response to
Mixing and Circulation at the Middle Atlantic Shelfbreak Front."
R.D. Vaillancourt, R. W. Houghton, J. Marra, D. Hebert, M. Prater,
and B. Hales. Seminar to be given at upcoming AUG/ASLO/TOS 2006
Ocean Sciences meeting, Honolulu, HI.
PUBLICATIONS (peer reviewed)
Vaillancourt,
RD, J. Marra, R. Houghton, L. Prieto, B. Hales, and D. Hebert.
(2005). Particulate and CDOM absorption at the New England shelfbreak
front. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G^3) 6 (11), Q11003,
doi:10.1029/2005GC000999.
Vaillancourt, RD.,
J. Marra, R. Barber, and W.O. Smith. (2003). Primary Productivity
and Photosynthetic Quantum yields in the Ross Sea and Pacific
Sector of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Deep-Sea Research
II 50, 559-578.
Vaillancourt, RD.,
Bidigare, RR., Seki, MP., and Parsons, ML., (2003). Impact of
a cyclonic eddy field on phytoplankton community structure and
photosynthetic competency in the subtroptical North Pacific Ocean.
Deep Sea Research I 50, 829-847.
Sambrotto, RN., Vaillancourt, RD., Langdon, C., Measures, C., Jacobs, S. and Matsuda, A. (2003) Summer plankton production and nutrient consumption patterns in the Mertz Glacier region of East Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II 50, 1393-1414.
Vaillancourt, R.D. and W.M. Balch (2000) The Marine submicron particle size distribution determined by Flow-flow field fractionation.. Limnol and Oceanogr.v 45:485-492
Graziano, L.M., W.M. Balch, D. Drapeau, B.C. Bowler, R.D. Vaillancourt, S. Dunford. 2000. Organic and inorganic carbon production in the Gulf of Maine. Cont. Shelf Res. 20:685-705.
Balch, W.M., J. Vaughn, J. Novatny, D.Drapeau, R. Vaillancourt, J. Lapierre and A. Ashe. (2000). Light scattering by viral suspensions. Limnol and Oceanogr. V45: 492-498.
Balch, W.M., Drapeau, D.T., Cucci, T.L. Vaillancourt, R.D., Kilpatrick, K.A., Fritz, J.J. 1999, Optical backscattering by calcifying algae: separating the contribution of particulate inorganic an organic carbon fractions. Geophys. Res. V104: 1541-1558.
Swift, E., JM Sullivan, HP Batchelder, J. Van Keuren, RD Vaillancourt and RR. Bidigare, 1995 Bioluminescent organisms and bioluminescence measurements in the North Atlantic Ocean near Lat. 60N., Long. 21W. J. Geophys. Res. V100(c4).
Batchelder, HP., JR Van Keuren, R. Vaillancourt and E. Swift. 1995. Spatial and temporal distributions of acoustically estimated zooplankton biomass near the Marine Light Mixed Layers station (59 30N, 21 00W) in the North Atlantic in May 1991. J. Geophys. Res. V 100 (C4): 6549-6563.
Hargraves, PE., RD. Vaillancourt and GA Jolly, 1988, Autotrophic picoplankton in Narragansett Bay and their interaction with microplankton, 1990, E. Cosper and E. Carpenter, eds. Novel Phytoplankton Blooms. Lecture Notes East Coast Est. Studies, Springer Verlag, Hiedelberg.
REPORTS AND ARTICLES
Vaillancourt, R.D. and P.E Hargraves, 1989, The effects of the
World Prodigy Oil Spill on the abundances and floristics of different
size fractions of phytoplankton in the West Passage of Narragansett
Bay, RI. URI Report.
Vaillancourt, R.D. 2001. Plying the Ocean Waters
in the Home of the Blizzard. Fall issue of At the Bay Campus,
Newsletter of the Graduate School of Oceanography, University
of Rhode Island.
Libby PS, Hennessy JT, Spina P, Baptiste-Carpenter EM, Ackelson
SG, Albro CS, Turner JT, Borkman DG, Keller AA, Reed L and Vaillancourt
R. 1995. Appendices to Report 95-10 ''Water quality monitoring
in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays: October -December 1994''.
Boston: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Report ms-032.
187 p.
Libby PS, Hennessy JT, Spina P, Baptiste-Carpenter EM, Albro CS, Turner JT, Borkman D, Keller AA, Reed L and Vaillancourt R. 1995. Appendices to Report 95-04 ''Water quality monitoring in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays: August and September 1994''. Boston: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Report ms-031. 217 p.
Libby PS, Hennessy JT, Spina P, Baptiste-Carpenter EM, Albro CS, Turner JT, Borkman D, Keller AA, Reed L and Vaillancourt R. 1995. Appendices to Report 95-03 ''Water quality monitoring in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays: June and July 1994''. Boston: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Report ms-030. 186 p.