In February 2025, the proposal entitled “Discoveries at the Greatest Frontiers:
Advanced Imaging and Genomics of Pelagic Animals,” submitted by WPI-AIMEC Unit
Leader Prof. Cheryl Ames (Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University)
with Ocean Shot team leader Jan Hemmi University of Western Australia, together with
Karen Osborn of the University of Western Australia and Smithsonian National
Museum of Natural History, and Kakani Katija of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute, was selected for the Ocean Shot research grant program by the Sasakawa
Peace Foundation’s Ocean Policy Research Institute.
Ocean Shot was established to provide large-scale support for the discovery of marine
species and the development of new technologies that drive these discoveries.
Through this selection, the team will receive 2.75 million USD for their proposed 3-year
research project starting in 2025.
This research project focuses on the midwater zone, located between the ocean
surface and the deep sea. Despite being estimated to harbor over 90% of Earth’s
biodiversity, this light-limited region is one of the least explored ecosystems due to its
inaccessibility. By employing imaging, genomics, eDNA, and AI technologies in
dedicated research cruises, the project aims to develop a comprehensive database of
marine organisms. Through collecting, curating, compiling and disseminating multiple
data types, the project aspires to bring to light the scale of midwater biodiversity,
evolutionary processes, and environmental changes on a global scale.
