Our Location
The Woods Hole facility occupies 3.4 acres on Vineyard Sound on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Laboratory hosts a public and research aquarium that is open to visitors year-round.
Directions
- From Boston, Massachusetts
- From Providence, Rhode Island
- From Woods Hole Bus Station/Steamship Authority
What We Do
The Woods Hole Laboratory houses research divisions and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center directorate, which provides overall management and direction for its five laboratories located from Orono, Maine, to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Center operations and information technology are also managed from this location.
Laboratory staff conduct inshore fishery surveys and cooperative research on the 72-foot research vessel Gloria Michelle and use the 209-foot NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow, berthed at the Newport Naval Station in Newport, Rhode Island, for offshore research programs. Other NOAA ships, aircraft, and contract vessels are also housed for research and survey work.
Woods Hole's Scientific Community
More Information
Our Leadership
Jon Hare, Ph.D.
Science and Research Director
Dr. Hare became Science and Research Director in October of 2016. Before that, he held various positions with NOAA Fisheries for more than two decades, winning multiple awards for his leadership and administrative capabilities, as well as for his research. Most recently, he served as Supervisory Research Oceanographer and Acting Ecosystems Processes Division Chief for the Narragansett Laboratory. In this role he managed division research while also managing personnel and research resources for five different locations in the center.
Nicole Cabana
Deputy Director
CDR Nicole Cabana is a NOAA Corps Officer. She has served in a broad range of operational, staff, and leadership positions during her 19 years of service in the NOAA Corps. She has an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology, a Masters degree in Engineering, and certificates in GIS and Project Management. She is also a dual rated pilot. Over her career she has served in both marine and aviation operational billets, operating NOAA ships , serving as a divemaster, and flying NOAA aircraft on a variety of scientific missions.
Our History
The Woods Hole Laboratory, founded in 1871, is the nation's oldest marine research station, and is the original laboratory of today’s NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It also houses the nation’s oldest public aquarium, the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, which is open to visitors year-round.