Hixon in Office, Photo credit: Jeff Kuwabara

Professor Mark Hixon, Hsiao Endowed Professor of Marine Biology in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has been recognized among the world’s top 20 coral reef scientists by ScholarGPS. This honor is based on his lifetime scientific achievements, including extensive publications, citations, and impactful research since 1979. Professor Hixon has consistently ranked in the top 20 every year since the list began in 2022.

His research explores how reef fishes affect seaweeds, how reef structure shapes fish communities, what drives fish population sizes, the lionfish invasion in the Caribbean, and innovative methods for coral reef restoration. He currently leads two major projects in Hawaiʻi: the REEFrame project (building a permanent undersea coral nursery off Waikīkī Beach, funded by NOAA) and the Fish Pono—Save Our Reefs public education campaign, which highlights the importance of restoring herbivorous fish populations for reef health.

Professor Hixon emphasizes that Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs—the “rainforests of tropical seas”—are in peril, and the scientific community is working urgently to protect and restore them before it’s too late.

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