Rate My Professor Erik Cordes

Dr. Erik Cordes serves as Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology in Temple University’s College of Science and Technology. He received his M.S. from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Over his career, Cordes has dedicated himself to the ecology of deep-sea ecosystems, organizing and leading research expeditions to regions including the U.S. East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. He has spent nearly two years at sea on more than 30 research cruises and completed 47 dives in manned submersibles, one reaching 6,000 meters depth.

His research focuses on deep-sea coral reefs, natural hydrocarbon seeps, and hydrothermal vents, examining community structure, biodiversity, and responses to environmental perturbations such as oil spills. Cordes has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, with notable works including "Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012), "Environmental impacts of the deep-water oil and gas industry: a review to guide management strategies" (Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2016), and "Hydrothermal vents and methane seeps: rethinking the sphere of influence" (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2016). He discovered the largest known structure-forming deep-water coral reef off the Carolinas (2018-2019) and a massive reef off Argentina (2026). Cordes has pioneered restoration techniques for deep-sea corals damaged by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, now applied in Argentina. In 2026, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished contributions to deep-sea coral ecology, conservation policies, and public engagement. Additionally, he is a Pool of Experts for the U.N. World Ocean Assessment, an IPCC Expert Reviewer, and Chair of the Oil & Gas Working Group for the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative.