Core Values

At Bigelow Laboratory, we use innovative approaches to unlock the incredible opportunity of the ocean. All our work is guided by a set of guiding institutional principles that define our unique approach.

• We take care of each other.
• Transformative science is like great art – it thrives when creativity is valued and scientists are inspired and challenged.
• There is power in embracing the full range of experience and backgrounds of a broad community of humanity.
• We encourage every person, in every position, to continually learn, improve, and innovate.
• We are nimble in our administrative process.
• We empower our students to think critically and aim high.
• We invest in foundational research and recognize its proven value to society.
• We continually strive to turn our discoveries into solutions.
• We recognize the importance of leveraging tools and ideas from other disciplines.
• We accept risk and believe that if we never fail, we aren’t reaching high enough!

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Land Acknowledgement

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences acknowledges the peoples of the Wabanaki Confederacy – the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac people, and others who may have ancestral connection to the land on the shores of the Damariscotta River, in the region where our campus is now located. As the research conducted by Bigelow Laboratory scientists has local and global reach, we aspire to the ongoing process of ethical, equitable and respectful collaboration with local and Indigenous communities wherever we engage in research in Maine and beyond. This process supports our mission to study the foundation of global ocean health and unlock its potential to improve the future for all life on our planet.