Rate My Professor Steve Ross

Ross's academic interests center on ichthyology and marine ecology spanning rivers, streams, estuaries, coastal systems, continental shelves, reefs, and deep-sea habitats to 4,000 meters. Over his 45-year career, he participated in 49 offshore research cruises from 1971 to 2023 across 19 research ships, 8 submersibles, and 6 remotely operated vehicles, serving as Chief Scientist on 33 expeditions. Notable projects encompass Lophelia I and II deep-water coral studies, Chemo III chemosynthetic communities research, and surveys of submarine canyons in the Gulf of Mexico, mid-Atlantic US slope, Norfolk Canyon methane seeps, and The Gully off Nova Scotia. His work has illuminated deep-sea coral ecosystems, demersal fish assemblages, habitat utilization, and trophic connectivity. With more than 150 publications garnering over 4,000 citations, prominent contributions include "The fish fauna associated with deep coral banks off the Southeastern United States" (2007), "Demersal fish distribution and habitat use within and near Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. middle Atlantic slope" (2015), "State of deep coral ecosystems in the U.S. southeast region: Cape Hatteras to southeastern Florida" (2007), and "Megafauna of the RMS Titanic shipwreck and a nearby seamount ridge in the deep sea of the Western North Atlantic" (2025). Ross has co-described new deep-water species such as hagfish, snake eels, and gobies, and serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Marine Science.