Dr. Phillip Dustan is a Professor of Biology at the University of Charleston, SC. He is a coral reef ecologist specializing in the ecology, photophysiology, and vitality of corals and coral reef communities.  Much of his work has centered on detecting change in the coral reefs of the Florida Keys using in-situ and remote sensing techniques.  He has worked in the Florida Keys, Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean Sea, Sinai Peninsula, and the Seychelles Islands.  His field experience includes over 1000 scientific dives, submersible experiences, and thousands of miles at sea on scientific research cruises to most of the oceans of the world. Other experiences include filming the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau Mysteries of the Hidden Reef with Captain Jacques Cousteau in 1974-5, principal scientist onboard Calypso during the Cousteau Society Amazon Expedition, 1982-83,  investigating the synthetic coral reef in the ecologically closed Biosphere2 experiment, and mapping the distribution of marine mammal habitats in the California Current from space using the Coastal Zone Color Scanner.  He was a principal investigator on the USPEA Florida Keys Coral Reef/Hardbottom Monitoring Project responsible for developing sampling design, software, and digital video image analysis for the project.  He served as the Science Advisor for The Cousteau Society from 1998-2003, and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.

Recent coral reef research and conservation efforts include using satellite imagery to detect coral reef change, giving testimony to the US Senate in support of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, representing the Cousteau Society at US Coral Reef Task Force Meetings, and developing methods to support the scientific monitoring of coral reef health.