Expert team

Our team of internal and external experts spans a wide range of disciplines, from spaceflight to dive medicine.
Together they guide us on our mission.

Subject Matter Experts

Kirk Krack

Kirk Krack has been a diving leader for over 30 years, enhancing opportunities in the water. His diverse roles include adventurer, educator, coach, camera operator, on-screen talent, stunt person, researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur.

Dawn Kernagis

Dr Dawn Kernagis is a scientist and has been a diver (including cave, technical, and free diving) since 1993. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at Duke University. Her research has focused on neuroprotective strategies for people exposed to high physiological stress. In 2016 Dawn was chosen to be a crew member for NASA’s NEEMO 21 undersea habitat mission.

Roger Garcia

Roger Garcia is the former Operations Director of the Aquarius Reef Base underwater habitat. A retired U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diver, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Diver and current certified Association of Diving Contractors International commercial diver, he brings decades of military, commercial, and scientific diving experience. During his 23 year tenure at the Aquarius program, Roger supported, planned and supervised a combined 100 saturation missions and projects focused on scientific research, defense initiatives, and NASA’s NEEMO astronaut training analog.

Norman Smith

Norman Smith has more than 35 years of experience launching complex technology products. Before joining DEEP, these products were for manned space flights with NASA and for deep-water equipment at Oceaneering International. He was previously Executive Vice President of Engineering at a microgrid power company providing low-emission backup power to hyperscale data centers.

Phil Short

Phil has logged over 7,000 dive hours across multiple diving disciplines including open-circuit, closed-circuit, surface supply, and 1-ATA suits. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. Born in Surrey, Phil spent a wonderful childhood exploring woods, fields, and swimming in the local river. His passion for treading new ground led him to caving and, via cave diving, to his work at DEEP today.

Dr. Andrew Abercromby

Dr. Andrew Abercromby is a scientist and engineer with over two decades of experience at NASA, where he led teams advancing human research, analog missions, spacecraft development, and strategic planning. Andrew has dived beneath the ice of frozen Antarctic lakes and spent two weeks living in the Aquarius undersea habitat as a crew member on NASA’s NEEMO 14 mission.

Strategic Advisory Council

Dr. John Clarke

Dr. John Clarke has an extensive background in diving and science. In his decades of experience, he's done everything from accrediting deep diving systems to authoring Navy manuals that revamped the testing and analysis of underwater breathing apparatus.

Dr. Kathy Sullivan

Kathy is a highly experienced geologist, oceanographer, former NASA astronaut and US Navy Officer. She has made history in space and sea, as the first US woman to complete a spacewalk and to travel to the lowest known point in the ocean.

Dr. Michael Lang

Michael is on the DAN Board of Directors and is committed to diver safety. He is a marine biologist and co-director of the San Diego Center of Excellence in Diving. He has dedicated his career to scientific diving and research.

Prof. Steve Davies

Steve had a long tenure as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. An active academic, he also joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and founded several successful chemistry companies.

Rob McCallum

Rob’s expertise in deep-water submersible operations is unparalleled, having led expeditions in some of the world’s most remote and hostile environments. He has planned, managed and led expeditions to the deepest point in all five oceans.

Our mission

Make Humans Aquatic

We know it's possible. We've been there before.

About DEEP