The life of a lab manager at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is a busy one. Joshua Goff, a Mobile native, manages the Cebrian Lab at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. 

Goff was born in Mobile, and has lived in Birmingham, Chicago and St. Louis. He earned a BS in Biology with a Marine concentration from the University of South Alabama in 2005. He's currently working on his MS at South Alabama.

"Getting my Master's is a way to supplement my experience with the theoretical knowledge base I need to move forward," Goff said.

For the past decade, Goff has worked in some capacity at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. He spent two years as an intern/technician and the other eight as a lab manager. 

As a lab manager, Goff keeps tabs on the nuts and bolts of how research is conducted on a practical level and helps facilitate the work.

"I've always had much more of an interest in the technical and logistical aspects of research, so in that sense my job as a technician kinda chose me," Goff explained. "I also really like the variety.  I have a few projects that I work on, but also get a lot of opportunity to jump in on other work."

Goff is currently working on a Watershed Management Plan and the GoMRI/ACER oil spill project. Goff is also helping to nail down methods for a project looking at primary production on offshore artificial reefs. 

Looking to the future, Goff said he wouldn't mind spending time in another area of the country doing similar work.

"Every environment has its own challenges, so learning to work in a different area would be a good opportunity," Goff said.

Outside of the lab, Goff loves to SCUBA dive, and recently started his AAUS dive training at the sea lab. He's also a fan of hiking and backpacking. However, he's not against just watching football.