image: Jeremy Horowitz
Credit: Kristina Pahang
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Jeremy Horowitz as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing his outstanding early-career research contributions, impact, and promise for continued achievement in oceanography, along with his strong record of mentorship, outreach, and collaborative science. Dr. Horowitz will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Horowitz is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and an internationally recognized authority on black corals (Order Antipatharia). His work integrates classical morphological taxonomy with phylogenomics and bioinformatics to describe new species, resolve long-standing questions about coral diversity, and better understand the evolution across depth gradients and ocean basins.
“Dr. Horowitz’s discoveries and technical expertise are transforming our understanding of marine biodiversity on tropical reefs and in deep-sea ecology,” wrote Dr Tom Bridge, Senior Scientist and Curator of Corals at Queensland Museum Tropics and Associate Professor at James Cook University, and Dr. Horowitz’s PhD advisor. Dr Bridge emphasized that Horowitz’s research “exemplifies the kind of interdisciplinary ocean science that this award seeks to recognize,” citing his discoveries of multiple new species, genera, and families of black corals and his leadership in modernizing coral systematics. Dr. Horowitz has also applied his taxonomic and genomic expertise to identify black corals impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, providing critical information to inform restoration and management decisions in the Gulf of Mexico.
Through doctoral and postdoctoral research conducted in Australia and the United States, his work combines next-generation DNA sequencing with detailed morphological analyses, enabling him to describe numerous new taxa and reconstruct time-calibrated evolutionary histories. According to Allison Miller, Research Portfolio Senior Manager at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, “Dr. Horowitz’s groundbreaking work on the taxonomy and evolutionary history of black corals places him at the forefront of his field, demonstrating exceptional innovation, dedication, and impact so early in his career.” Dr. Horowitz sailed on Schmidt Ocean Institute research expeditions in 2020 and 2023.
Beyond scientific discovery, Dr. Horowitz has led efforts at the NMNH to digitize and enhance access to one of the world’s largest black coral collections, integrating high-resolution imagery and genomic data using international biodiversity standards. Miller noted that by making these data freely available, Horowitz has “significantly removed barriers to research, fostered collaboration, and advanced discoveries at a more rapid pace.”
Mentorship, outreach, and science communication have been central to Dr. Horowitz’s early career. He has trained undergraduate and graduate students, early-career scientists, and museum volunteers across multiple countries, providing hands-on instruction in taxonomy, collections management, and molecular methods. Bridge highlighted that Horowitz’s “approachable teaching style and inclusive mentorship foster the next generation of ocean scientists and broaden access to marine science for students from diverse backgrounds.” Dr. Horowitz is also widely recognized for his public engagement, including live science communication during remotely operated vehicle dives, public lectures, museum events, and international outreach initiatives that bring deep-sea research to broad audiences.
Through pioneering research, open and collaborative science, dedicated mentorship, and effective outreach, Dr. Horowitz fully embodies the intent and criteria of The Oceanography Society Early Career Award.
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About The Oceanography Society
Founded in 1988, the Oceanography Society’s mission is to build the capacity of its diverse global membership; catalyze interdisciplinary ocean research, technology, policy, and education; and promote equitable access to opportunities for all.