Janai Southworth

I fell in love with plankton at the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The best part of my day is always that first look at the fresh plankton on my microscope. I am perpetually amazed at the beauty, diversity and richness of life in the plankton of San Francisco Bay. The phytoplankton is a reflection of the dynamic bay waters, an estuary, where sweet and salty waters mix.

My work is at the intersection of art and science, supporting science communication and enhancing outreach activities through my micrographs of San Francisco Bay plankton.

I am a contributing member of the Plankton Monitoring Network, a Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary naturalist, a member of the San Francisco Microscopical Society, and on the board of advisors of OceansMicro.