Ronald L. Shimek (born March 28, 1948) is an American marine biologist specializing in the study of

scaphopods Scaphopoda (plural scaphopods , from Ancient Greek σκᾰ́φης ''skáphē'' "boat" and πούς ''poús'' "foot"), whose members are also known as tusk shells or tooth shells, are a class of shelled marine invertebrates belonging to the ph ...

and turrid gastropods. His current work is on marine reef aquaria and is targeted at the reef keeping hobbyist community.

Academic history

Shimek received his doctorate from the University of Washington in 1977, becoming Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Alaska, Anchorage the same year. In 1979 he served as the Department Chair. In 1983 he became Assistant Director of the

Bamfield Marine Station Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (formerly the Bamfield Marine Station) is a Marine (ocean), marine research station established in 1972, located in Bamfield, British Columbia, Bamfield, Barkley Sound, British Columbia and run by the University ...

on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and in 1988 became a senior postdoctoral fellow at the

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI, FAU Harbor Branch) is a non-profit oceanographic institution operated by Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Founded in 1971 as non-profit research organization, the i ...

in Florida. In 2000 he was voted president of the

Western Society of Malacologists Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, and between 1996 and 2003 he was an Affiliate Associate Professor of Ecology at Montana State University, retiring from there in 2003.

Research

Shimek's knowledge of marine invertebrates resulted in his publication of a pocket guide in 2001 and a follow-up in 2005 which was favorably reviewed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimek, Ronald American marine biologists 1948 births Living people University of Washington alumni