He grew up fascinated by aquatic life (and Jacques Cousteau specials), pursuing the sciences during his education. Russ received his PhD in 1997 from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The focus of his graduate research was on marine plankton ecology in the tropical waters surrounding Jamaica, West Indies. From 1997 to 1999, he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Russ pursues a broad array of research interests, concentrating on the composition, production and energy flow of the planktonic trophic levels that ultimately shape the structure of all marine communities. Since joining UAF in 2000, most of his research focuses on copepod and euphausiid crustaceans in polar and sub-polar waters surrounding Alaskan waters. He serves on the steering committee of several Census of Marine Life projects.