Dr Paul van Ruth is a biological oceanographer with expertise in plankton ecology, physiology, and productivity, and food web dynamics. His interests are focussed on understanding the way that variations in physical and chemical environmental parameters shape marine planktonic communities and food web dynamics from global to local scales. His current role as Senior Research Scientist in Biological Oceanography at the Aquatic Sciences division of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) involves the development and implementation of studies which investigate the potential impacts of industrial, commercial, and recreational activities on the lower trophic ecosystem. Outputs provide new insights into factors shaping marine ecosystem productivity, that promote the ecologically sustainable management of marine resources. Paul is the current leader of the South Australian node of the Integrated Marine Observing System (SAIMOS), and leads the biogeochemical sampling component for the SAIMOS mooring sub-facility.