Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington
Delaney's passion is for the global ocean, the ultimate life-support system of the planet. Since 1997, he has directed the development of the regional cabled ocean observatory that evolved from NEPTUNE into the Regional Scale Nodes (RSN) program within the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative. He leads the University of Washington's scientists and engineers in designing, building, and installing this first US regional cabled ocean observatory. The RSN network of cables, instruments, sensors, and moorings will enable adaptive, real-time interactive research on energetic and episodic natural phenomena operating throughout the world's oceans. Delaney presents public lectures and talks (TED) in venues worldwide on the potential of new technologies to revolutionize ocean science and education.
Delaney began his career working inside active volcanoes on the Galápagos Islands and worked as an economic geologist. From there, he moved to underwater volcanoes and was chief scientist on the cruise that found the first submarine hot spring system on the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. In the early 1990s, he realized that understanding the mid-ocean ridges required a multidisciplinary approach, and he initiated the two-decade NSF RIDGE Program. He served as the program's first chair in 1988 and continued on the steering committee until 1992. In 1994, Delaney founded and led InterRidge, an international organization of more than 20 nations focused on ridge-crest research. Delaney has also served on several NASA committees charged with defining the nature of missions to Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, suspected to harbor both a liquid ocean and submarine volcanoes.
Delaney has published more than 100 scientific papers and articles. He has served as chief scientist on over 45 oceanographic research cruises that routinely use submersibles and underwater robotic and autonomous vehicles (such as Jason, ROPOS, and Sentry). In the summer of 1998, Delaney led a joint expedition with the American Museum of Natural History to successfully recover four volcanic sulfide structures now on display in AMNH's Hall of the Planet Earth. This US/Canadian effort was the subject of the NOVA/PBS and BBC documentary, "Volcanoes of the Deep."