Professional and Academic Positions

• 2022 Alvin Dive 5091 - 5879 m depth, Puerto Rico Trench North Wall
• 2021/22 Selectee and Participant – RV Atlantis and HOV Alvin 6500 m SVE
• 2021 Chief Scientist – RV Kruger B, PRT Free vehicle deployments (FVD)
• 2020 COVID Lead Scientist – NOAA Okeanos Explorer EX Puerto Rico, (FVD)
• 2019 Science Editor – Waves and Beaches, 3rd ed., Patagonia Books
• 2018 Lead Scientist – NOAA Nancy Foster, Anegada Passage (FVD)
• 2015-present Director – UPRM Center for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Education
• 2015 Lead Scientist – NOAA Okeanos Explorer EX1502 Leg 2, (FVD)
• 2013-present Graduate Professor, UPRM Department of Marine Sciences
• 2013 Doctor on Call - OET RV Nautilus Cruises NA-35, 37, and 39.
• 2013 Appointed to United Nations World Ocean Assessment Pool of Experts, Wider Caribbean Region United States Representative.
• 2006-2013 Associate Professor, UPRM Department of Marine Sciences.
• 2006-present Chief Scientist – numerous UPRM Free Vehicle (FVD) cruises in PR waters
• 2011 Awarded tenure and recommended for full professorship, promotion held due to PR economic crisis. Full-professorship expected in summer 2013.
• 2006-2008 Support Scientist – UPRM Coastal Hazards Center.
• 2005-2006 Research Assist. Professor - University of Florida, Coastal Engineering.
• 2004-2005 ASEE Research Fellow - Naval Research Laboratory, Littoral Processes.
• 2003-2004 Post-Doctoral Research Associate - SIO Center for Coastal Studies.

Education

• 2003 Ph.D. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
• 2001 M.Sc. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
• 1996 B.Sc. Environmental Science, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi,
  Summa cum laude, Minors – Geology, Chemistry, and Mathematics

Research Interests

• Oceanographic instrument design/development. Hadal research and instrumentation. Nearshore
  and coastal processes. Bathymetric influences on gravity-wave driven currents.
  Tsunami and hurricane coastal inundation. Internal wave and mesoscale eddy effects on
  mesophotic corals.

Courses Taught

• Marine Sciences (graduate = G, senior undergraduate = U)
• Physical Oceanography (G)
• Physical Oceanography Laboratory (G)
• Coastal Physical Oceanography (G)
• Physical Oceanographic Data Analysis (G)
• Special Topics – Hadal Free Vehicle Biota Trap Design (G)

• Introduction to Oceanography (U)
• Introduction to Oceanography Laboratory(U)
• Introduction to Climate Change (U)
• Introduction to Climate Change Laboratory (U)
• Oceanographic Mathematics with Applications (U)
• Mechanical Engineering

  Special Topics - Design of Oceanographic Instrumentation (U)

Professional Affiliations

• American Geophysical Union
• American Meteorological Society
• Geological Society of America
• Marine Technology Society
• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

Professional Service

• United States Representative – UN World Ocean Assessment Pool of Experts (Caribbean)
• Proposal Reviewer – NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
• Reviewer - Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanographic Technology
• Reviewer - Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans
• Reviewer - Caribbean Journal of Science
• Reviewer – Limnology and Oceanography: Methods
• Chair     - UPRM DMS Marine Operations Committee

• Member - UPRM DMS Personnel Committee

Graduate and Under-graduate Advisees and Lab members

• Haibo Xu, DMS, Ph.D., Graduate committee Chair and advisor
• Zamara Fuentes, DMS Ph.D., Graduate committee Chair and advisor
• Rolf Veiten DMS Ph.D. Graduate committee member
• Oscar Ramos, M.Sc., Graduate committee Chair and advisor
• Myrna Santiago, DMS M.Sc., Graduate committee member
• Danilo Rojas, EE Ph.D. M.Sc., Graduate committee member
• Jesus Torrado, EE M.Sc., Graduate committee member
• Margarita Blandon Salazar, EE M.Sc., Lab member
• Roberto Hernández Martinez, EE BSc., Lab member
• Grabiel Cantres Rosario, EE BSc., Lab member
• Carlos N. Abreu Takemura, EE BSc., Lab member
• Luis Escobar Reyes, EE B.Sc., Lab member
• Fabian Zapata, EE B.Sc., Lab member
• Armando Vega, Ortiz, EE B.Sc., Lab member
• Leonardo Ortiz, EE B.Sc., Lab member
• Juan Santos, GEO MSc., Lab member

Selected Publications

• Fuentes Z, M Tuttle, and W Schmidt, in revision. Ecological changes and overwash events
  at three coastal ponds on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Geosphere.
• Schmidt W, D Rojas, H Xu, R Veiten, Z Fuentes, and M Jimenez, in revision. An untethered
  free vehicle for oceanographic research. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.
• Cheriton O, C Storlazzi, K Rosenberger, C Sherman, and W Schmidt, 2021. Rapid
  observations of ocean dynamics and stratification along a steep island coast during
  Hurricane María. Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abf1552.
• Schizas N, C Sherman, J Cruz-Motta, W Schmidt, E Weil, 2021. Organism counts
  from photo-transects collected during quantitative benthic surveys in Southwest
  Puerto Rico at 20m during 2013-2014 and 2018-2019. DOI:10.26008/1912/bcodmo.
  847866.1
• Jimenez M, W Schmidt, and D Rojas, 2020. A Fault-tolerant Free-vehicle Architecture for
  Hadal Zone Exploration. IEEE Global OCEANS 2020: Singapore - U.S. Gulf Coast.
  DOI: 10.1109/IEEECONF38699.2020.9389345
• Schmidt W, D Rojas, R Smith, and M Jimenez, 2019. Comparison of Free Vehicle and
  Conventional CTD. In: Raineault, N.A, and J. Flanders, eds. 2019. New frontiers in ocean
  exploration: The E/V Nautilus, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, NOAA Ship Nancy
  Foster and R/V Falkor 2018 field season. Oceanography 32(1).
• Appeldoorn R, N Schizas, W Schmidt, C Sherman, and E Weil, 2019. How MCEs vary
  geographically (Atlantic Ocean, Puerto Rico). In: B Riegel, K Puglise, and R Dodge
  (Editors), Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (Coral Reefs of the World) 1st ed. Springer
  International Publishing AG.
• Fuentes Z, M Tuttle, and W Schmidt, 2017. Sand scripts of past tsunamis on the coast of St.
  Thomas, USVI. Seismic Research Letters
• Sherman C, W Schmidt, R Appeldoorn, Y Hutchinson, H Ruiz, M Nemeth, I Bejarano, and
  H Xu, 2016. Sediment Transport and its Potential Influence on Insular-Slope Mesophotic
  Coral Ecosystems. Continental Shelf Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2016.09.012
• Appeldoorn R, D Ballantine, I Bejarano, H Ruiz, N Schizas, W Schmidt, C Sherman, and E
  Weil, 2016. Mesophotic coral ecosystems examined - La Parguera, Puerto Rico, USA. In:
  E.K. Baker, K.A. Puglise and P.T. Harris (Editors), Mesophotic coral ecosystems - A
  lifeboat for coral reefs? The United Nations Environment Programme and GRIDArendal,
  Nairobi and Arendal, pp. 45-49.
• Kennedy B, A Quatrini, M Cheadle, G Garcia-Moliner, J Chaytor, M Ford, E Lobecker, D
  Sowers, K Cantwell, L McKenna, W Schmidt, J Torrado, D Rojas, R Veiten, Z Fuentes,
  H Xu, and M Jimenez, 2016. Océano Profundo 2015: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts,
  Trenches, and Troughs. New frontiers in ocean exploration: The E/V Nautilus and NOAA
  Ship Okeanos Explorer 2015 field season. Oceanography 29(1), supplement, 84 pp.
• Lobecker E, E Rose, W Schmidt, M Ovard, S Allen, J Meyer, C Wegner, K Mello, J Millan,
  2015. Mapping Data Acquisition and Processing Summary Report: EX-15-02 Leg 2,
  Caribbean Exploration (Mapping). United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
  Administration. Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. DOI:10.25923/s84t-1959.
• Reyna J, A Bera, H Cho, W Douglas, R Folorunsho, F Hall, S Kim, T Komatsu, R Mosetti,
  K Sabir, W Schmidt, H Tõnisson, 2015. United Nations World Ocean Assessment for
  the Wider Caribbean Region, Chapter 26 – Land/Sea Physical Interaction.
• Schmidt, W.and E. Siegel, 2011. Free descent and on bottom ADCM measurements in the Puerto Rico Trench, 19.75 N, 66.40 W. Deep-Sea Research I 58 (2011) 970–977, doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2011.06.005.
• Eloe, E., Malfatti, F., Gutierrez, J., Hardy, K., Schmidt, W., Pogliano, K., Pogliano, J., Azam, F., and Bartlett, B., 2011. Isolation and characterization of the first psychropiezophilic Alphaproteobacterium. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 77(22): 8145-53. doi: 10.1128/ AEM.05204-11
• Schmidt, W.(in prep). Evidence of internal waves and mesoscale eddies from mesophotic ADCP and temperature measurements, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. To be submitted to J. Physical Oceanography.
• Schmidt, W., 2008. A Tsunami Forecast Model for Ponce, Puerto Rico. NOAA OAR Special Report, PMEL Tsunami Forecast Series.
• Schmidt, W., 2008. A Tsunami Forecast Model for Montauk, New York. NOAA OAR Special Report, PMEL Tsunami Forecast Series.
• Mercado, A., and W. Schmidt, 2007. A Tsunami Forecast Model for Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. NOAA OAR Special Report, PMEL Tsunami Forecast Series., Vol. 3.
• Mercado, A., and W. Schmidt, 2007. A Tsunami Forecast Model for San Juan, Puerto Rico. NOAA OAR Special Report, PMEL Tsunami Forecast Series.
• Spydell, M, F. Feddersen, R. T. Guza, and W. Schmidt, 2007. Observing surfzone dispersion with drifters. J. Phys. Ocean. 37, doi:10.1175/2007/JPO3580.1
• Schmidt, W.,R. T. Guza, and D. N. Slinn, 2005. Surfzone currents over irregular bathymetry: Drifter observations and numerical simulations. J. Geophys. Res., 110, C12015, doi:10.1029/2004JC002421.
• Schmidt, W., B. T. Woodward, K. S. Millikan, R. T. Guza, B. Raubenheimer, and S. Elgar, 2003. A GPS-tracked surfzone drifter. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 20, 1069-1075.

Recent Presentations 

• Rubin K, F Klein, A Soule, A Burkett, W Schmidt, Jason Almeida, Sabrina Douglas, David
  Davis, 2022. Classic Oceanic Crustal Section Recovered by Alvin Submersible Divers
  from the Puerto Rico Trench North Wall. 2022 American Geophysical Union Fall
  Meeting, Chicago, IL, Dec 6, 2022. 
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, and D Rojas 2022. 15 years of untethered free vehicle research in
  the Puerto Rico Trench and NE Caribbean. OSM 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting.
  Honolulu, HI, March 2, 2022. 
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, and D Rojas 2022. Keynote address. Soundings, free vehicles, and
  Alvin: The past, present and future of Puerto Rico Trench research. 5th Marine Science
  AeCiMa Symposium, Mayaguez, PR, February 26, 2022.
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, and D Rojas 2021. Webinar “Deep Science in the Puerto Rico
  Trench”. OTR International School, Luxembourg. March 13, 2021. 
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, and D Rojas 2020. Webinar “Puerto Rico Trench exploration with
  free vehicles”. Planeta Oceano, La Serie, Sociedad Ambiental Marino. August 23, 2020. 
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, D Rojas and R Smith 2019. Free Vehicles. An oceanographic analog
  to weather balloons? 2019 American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Ocean
  Sciences Meeting. San Juan, PR. 
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez 2019. Build it and they will come: Introducing engineering
  students to oceanography. Part 2, 2019 American Society of Limnology and
  Oceanography Ocean Sciences Meeting. San Juan, PR. 
• Rojas D, M Jimenez and W Schmidt, 2018. A Modular Approach to the Development of
  Fault Tolerant Free-Vehicle. Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering
  Institutions (LACCEI) 16th International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education,
  and Technology. Lima, Peru. July 2018. 
• Schmidt W, D Rojas, J Torrado, H Xu, and M Jimenez, 2017. Free vehicles: An
  oceanographic analog to weather balloons? Invited Speaker, John D. Weaver Seminar
  Series. Mayaguez, PR, Nov. 2017.
• Torrado J, M Jimenez, and W Schmidt, 2016. A Navigation System for Free Descent-Ascent
  Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. HENAAC Conference - Great Minds in STEM.
  Anaheim CA, 9 Oct. 2016.
•  Rojas D, M Jimenez, and W Schmidt, 2014. Physical Design For Free a Decent-Ascent
  Deep Sea Vehicle. Conferencia del Caribe Innovación y Tecnología Bioprocess
  Development & Training Complex, Mayaguez, PR, USA. 10 Oct. 2014. 
• Torrado J, M Jimenez, and W Schmidt, 2014. Inertial Navigation System for Free Descent
  Deep Sea Vehicle. Conferencia del Caribede Innovación y Tecnología Bioprocess
  Development & Training Complex, Mayaguez, PR, USA. 10 Oct. 2014. 
• Cruz L, C Díaz, R Cruz, M Jimenez, and W Schmidt, 2014. Deep Sea Imaging System.
  Conferencia del Caribede Innovación y Tecnología Bioprocess Development & Training
  Complex, Mayaguez, PR, USA. 10 Oct. 2014.
• Schmidt W, M Jimenez, A Vega, and J Torrado, 2013. Exploration of the Puerto Rico Trench and Muertos Trough with Untethered Free-Vehicles. 2013 Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting, San Juan, PR.

• Fuentes Z, M Tuttle, and W Schmidt, 2013. St. Thomas, USVI Overwash Deposits From the Last 3,000 Years. 2013 Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting, San Juan, PR.

• Schmidt W, 2013. Observation and Parameterization of Rip Current Velocity Maxima and Extent. 8th International Multi-purpose Reef and Surfing Science Symposium, Rincón, PR.

• Schmidt W, 2011. Evidence of internal waves and mesoscale eddies from mesophotic ADCP and temperature measurements, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. 2011 American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Ocean Sciences Meeting. San Juan, PR.
• Jimenez, M, and Schmidt W., 2011. Interfacing Analog Sensors to Low-power MCUs for Cost Effective Oceanography Instrumentation. Engibous Summit, Dallas, TX
• Schmidt, W., and E. Siegel, 2011. Voyage to the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench: Tales from a free fall current meter. IEEE Current, waves and turbulence measurement workshop. Monterrey, CA.
• Colon, B., E. Suarez, A. Gomez, A. Castilla, W. Schmidt, P. Quintero, and M. Smith., 2011. An “Open Source” autonomous archival instrument for aquatic sampling.
• Schmidt, W., M. Smith, F. Rodriguez, and P. Quintero, 2011. Build it and  they will come: Introducing  engineering students to oceanography. ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting. San Juan, PR.
• Schmidt, W., 2011. Evidence of internal waves and mesoscale eddies from mesophotic ADCP and temperature measurements, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting. San Juan, PR.
• Schmidt, W. E. and E. Siegel, 2010. On-bottom and free-fall ADCM measurements in the Puerto Rico Trench, 19.75° N, 66.40° W. Trench Connection, Tokyo, Japan.
• Schmidt, W. E. 2010. Mesophotic ADCP and temperature measurements from the El Hoyo transect, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Meeting.  February 22-26, Portland, OR.
• Eloe, E. A., W. E. Schmidt, and D. H. Bartlett, 2009. Isolation of a novel Puerto Rico Trench psychropiezophile.. Second Symposium: Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology: A Caribbean Perspective. Univ.
• Schmidt W and D Slinn, 2008. Rip current velocity structure in drifter trajectories and numerical simulations. 2008 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 

• Holland T, N Plant, J Calantoni, W Schmidt, T. Kooney, and A. Reed, 2006. A field study of coastal dynamics on a muddy coast offshore of Cassino Beach, Brazil. 2006 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

• Spydell M, F Feddersen, R Guza, and W Schmidt, 2006. Drifter-based estimates of surfzone dispersion. 2006 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
• 
Schmidt W, R Guza, and T Holland, 2005. Surfzone drifters: Applications and observations. IEEE 8th Working Congress on Current Measurement, Southampton, U.K. 
• Schmidt W, 2004. Surfzone currents: Recent advances in measurement and modeling. United States Lifesaving Association Board of Directors Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 
• Schmidt W, R Guza, and D Slinn, 2004. Observations of large, bathymetrically-controlled eddies in the surfzone. 2004 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 
• 
Schmidt W, D Slinn, and R Guza, 2002. Surfzone currents over irregular bathymetry: Drifter observations and model results. 2002 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 

• Schmidt W and R Guza, 2001. Observations of surfzone currents with drifters. 2001 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 
• Schmidt W, B Woodward, K Millikan, R Guza, B Raubenheimer, and S Elgar,  2000. A GPS-tracked surfzone drifter. 2000 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 
• 
Schmidt W, 1996. Beach profiles along a seawall, North Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Texas. Texas Academy of Sciences 99th Annual Meeting, Galveston, TX.

Funding History (funded)

• 2017-2018, Co-PI, The impact of Hurricane Maria on the mesophotic reefs of southwest
  Puerto Rico, NSF RAPID, $200,000
• 2014-2021, PI, Exploration of the Muertos Trough and Puerto Rico Trench via untethered

  free vehicles, NOAA OER, $349,000
• 2011-2012, Co-PI, An Ultra-Deep Sea Water Buoy for Ocean Trench Studies, IAP $2,500
• 2011-2012, Co-PI, Surf Zone Drifters Sensing System for the Study of Ocean Currents, IAP
  $2,500
• 2010-2012, PI, Supplemental funding award, Collaborative Research: Pressure Effects on

  Microbial Life in the Puerto Rico Trench, NSF $20,750.
• 2009-2011, Co-PI, IDBR: An Auto-sampler for Aquatic Microbial Sampling and Archiving,
  NSF, $223,042
• 2009-2011, PI, Collaborative Research: Pressure Effects on Microbial Life in the Puerto Rico

  Trench, NSF $107,831.
• 2006-2011, Co-PI, CRES 2006: Ecology, Integrity & Status of Deep Caribbean Coral Reefs,
  NOAA CSCOR, $1,499,999.
• 2006-2007, PI, A Partnership for Deep Sea Research, UPRM Research and Development

  Center Seed Money Program, $4,900.

Other Recently Submitted Proposals/Pre-Proposals (unfunded)

• 2020-2022, PI, Untethered free-vehicle sampling of abyssal/hadal invertebrate and sediment
  plastic in the Muertos Trough and Puerto Rico Trench. NOAA OER, $601,078.
• 2017-2019, PI, Development of a free-vehicle to profile the PRT water column biotic

  community via eDNA. NOAA OER, $601,642.
• 2017-2023, Senior Scientist, LTER: La Parguera Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem (PME). NSF,
  $1,100,000
• 2014-2016, PI, Exploration of the Puerto Rico Trench via un-tethered free vehicles. NOAA

  OER, $444,000
• 2011-2015, Co-PI, The impacts of episodic rainfall events on coral reefs as determined with
  remote sensing, hydrological and coastal modeling and water quality monitoring, NASA,
  $1,715,411.
• 2010-2012, PI, Multi-disciplinary Exploration of the Muertos Trough and Puerto Rico Trench

  via Untethered Free-Descent/Ascent Vehicles, NOAA OER, $499,802
• 2010-2015, Co-PI, Hyperspectral, Radar, and EO/IR Signatures in the Littorals, ONR,
  $7,500,000 ($500,000 to UPRM).
• 2010-2012, PI, Hydrokinetic Energy Generation Using Vortex induced Vibrations. SRNL

  Sub- Contract, Environmental Measurements in Coastal Waters Over Prototype VIVACE.

  DOE, $493,612
• 2010-2012, PI, Lagrangian and Eulerian measurements of surfzone and nearshore currents in
  an Acropora palmata environment; Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, Rincón, Puerto Rico, PR
  Sea Grant, $218,039.
• 2009-2011, Co-PI, DURIP - An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Physical and Biological
  Oceanographic Research and Education, ONR, $198,831.