Kakani Katija

Originally an Aerospace Engineer, Kakani Katija received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology specializing in biological fluid mechanics and in situ imaging methods. As a Bioengineer, Katija is dedicated to developing underwater technologies to better observe biological and physical processes where they happen in the ocean. Her research and engineering development efforts have contributed to our understanding of nutrient cycling and biologically induced mixing of the ocean, ecomechanics of gelatinous and soft-bodied invertebrates in deep-sea environments, and bioinspired engineering design. She is currently a Principal Engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute where she leads the Bioinspiration Lab. Katija and members of her team develop tools and platforms that include (1) advanced imaging tools (DeepPIV and EyeRIS) to measure biological-physical interactions in the ocean, (2) electronics tagging packages (ITAG) to deduce organism behavioral response to a changing environment, and (3) autonomous underwater vehicles using stereo tracking to observe marine animals in midwater for long durations. A former ice dancer and member of the U.S. International Figure Skating Team, Katija is an active scientific diver, conducting field expeditions in various locations around the world using technologies that she and her team have developed.