Dr. Björn Kjerfve

United States of America
May 2009-Present

Dr Björn Kjerfve has dual United States and Swedish nationality. Prior to taking up the post as President of World Maritime University in May 2009, Dr Kjerfve has long experience and expertise in ocean sciences and the delivery of high-quality tertiary education and research.

Before joining World Maritime University, Dr Kjerfve was Dean of the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University, and he also tenured as professor of oceanography and geography. Texas A&M is ranked as among the top 10 institutions in oceanography, atmospheric sciences and geography in the United States; all three of these programs run in the College of Geosciences.

He has recently overseen the USD115 million renovation of a scientific drilling ship (JOIDES Resolution), which forms part of the multinational Integrated Ocean Drilling Program currently being implemented by Texas A&M University.

Dr Kjerfve was also a tenured professor of marine and geological sciences at the University of South Carolina, where he also served as the Director of the Marine Science Program. He also taught at the University of Sydney, Australia from 1979 to 1080; at the Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil from 1988 to 1989; and Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden, in 1996.

Dr Kjerfve has maintained an active research presence, obtaining research grants, building large research programs, publishing books and peer-reviewed journal articles, and mentoring PhD students. As part of his research, he has spent time in Brazil and other Latin American countries, The Caribbean, Southeast Asia (mostly Thailand and Malaysia), the Middle East (Dubai and Qatar), and has recently put together a collaborative educational and research program and joint PhD degree between Texas A&M University and Ocean University of China in Qingdao.