Donal T. Manahan


Donal Thomas Manahan is an Irish-born American marine scientist and comparative physiologist. He is known for Antarctic and deep oceanic research on the physiology and ecology of marine invertebrates and their larvae in extreme environments, and for his interest in the role of dissolved organic material as a larval food source.

Education and career

Donal Manahan was educated at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Wales in Bangor, Wales, where he earned his Ph.D. studying in the laboratory of Dennis J. Crisp. From 1980 to 1983, he was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Grover C. Stephens at the University of California at Irvine. Manahan joined faculty at the University of Southern California in 1983.
Manahan has served as Chairman of the United States National Academy of Sciences Polar Research Board and he served on the National Science Foundation Decadal Group-Planning Committee for Ocean Sciences. He has also served on NSF Federal Advisory Committees to the Director from NSF's Office of Polar Programs. Manahan Peak in Antarctica was named in honor of his contributions to research and education on that continent.

Selected publications