Mark E. Hay

Mark Hay is an experimental marine ecologist who holds the Teasley Chair in Environmental Biology and is a Regents Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. His research into marine ecosystems has helped develop the field of marine chemical ecology, provided key insights regarding the conservation and restoration of coral reefs, and challenged how scientists view ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the establishment and impact of invasive species. 

Hay has participated in dozens of ship-based expeditions but more commonly works at remote field stations to conduct longer-term experiments. He has conducted 5,000+ scuba dives and four saturation diving missions (using both Hydrolab and Aquarius) – where scientists live and work at depth on a coral reef for periods of 10 days. 

Hay's areas of research are experimental field ecology; chemical ecology, consumer-prey interactions; coral reefs; and marine conservation and restoration. He has won awards for teaching and scientific achievement and works frequently with media outlets (NY Times, National Geographic, NPR, BBC, Animal Planet, etc.) to convey scientific information in ways that are accessible to the general public.

Hay completed undergraduate degree requirements in both Zoology and Philosophy at the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Irvine. He was a pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and a post-doctoral fellow in Paleobiology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.