Annette Govindarajan

Dr. Annette Govindarajan is a molecular ecologist and oceanographer in the Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Her laboratory works to understand the biodiversity, distributions, and ecology of marine animals using 'omics techniques, especially in the ocean's midwater and deep-sea realms. Its research addresses diel vertical migration, food webs, benthic–pelagic coupling, seamount biodiversity, and the ecology of environmental DNA (eDNA) — including eDNA shedding, transport, and decay. To advance these aims, the laboratory develops and applies autonomous sampling technologies, platforms, and novel experimental approaches.

Dr. Govindarajan earned a BS in Biology (Honors Program) and an MS in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut, and a PhD in Biological Oceanography from the MIT–WHOI Joint Program, before completing a postdoc at WHOI. Her doctoral and postdoctoral research applied molecular approaches to the diversity of gelatinous invertebrates.