The Aquarium of the Pacific Wednesday announced the appointment of Peter Kareiva as its new president and CEO, effective Aug. 1.

Kareiva, who comes to the aquarium from his position as director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, replaces Jerry R. Schubel, who is stepping down on July 31 after 18 years at the helm.

Kareiva also served as the vice president of science for the Nature Conservancy and has held faculty positions at several universities and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

He holds a B.A. in zoology, a master’s degree in environmental biology and a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology and is a past recipient of the aquarium’s most prestigious honor, the Ocean Conservation Award.

“As a scientist, I have researched the opportunities for marine aquaculture, the importance of marine habitats in protecting our coast from sea-level rise and the value of the ocean to our economy. But it is my love of the ocean that brings me to the Aquarium of the Pacific,” Kareiva said. “There is no better place to share the wonders of the marine world with a diverse community, and no better platform from which to engage the global community in saving our oceans.”

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