Marine Biology Bio

Researcher and Science Communicator

Max Claus is a marine biologist and science communicator with a particular interest in the role of siphonophores in marine ecology.

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He has recently written two unpublished scientific papers while on a study abroad program in Queensland, Australia. These studies investigate the inhabitants of temporary tide pools created by feeding stingrays in North Stradbroke Island and the contribution of Planaxis sulcatus snails to coral formation on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. 

He is also an exhibit guide at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, a hybrid aquarium-marine science museum, which educates visitors of all ages on the subjects of marine biology, ecology, and conservation. Here, he cemented an interest in marine science communication, which unifies his passion for research with his theater background.

Max is currently earning his bachelor's degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz. At UCSC, he has assisted pHD student Nicola Malakooti in a project on the link between climate change and disease in sea urchins, and Benjamin Walker on the effects of climate change on local Dungeness crab populations.