Dr. Sean Mullan joined the Marine Institute (MI) in 2020 to help launch the Master of Applied Ocean Technology (Ocean Mapping) Program. He started as Scientific Coordinator for the Nippon Foundation- Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography on August 1, 2024.

He has enjoyed an interdisciplinary scientific career that integrates his interests in geoscience, oceanography, geomatics, and education. His University of Victoria PhD dissertation (2017) on seabed sediment dynamics and geomorphology in tidal straits is relevant to the routing of seafloor cables and pipelines, the situation of tidal turbines for renewable energy extraction, and understanding benthic habitats. Sean is also keen to help advance applied ocean mapping techniques, namely, approaches to bathymetric change detection and seabed characterization.

Sean has extensive practical experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), having been employed by the Government of British Columbia’s geological survey (2005) and forest service (2006). Beginning in 2007, Sean aided the marine and sedimentary systems research group at the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). He participated in marine surveying expeditions and laboratory analyses to characterize the habitats, hazards, and resources of Canada's Pacific continental shelf. At sea, Sean was involved in seabed material sampling, acoustic-seismic surveying and representing the GSC during two Canadian Hydrographic Service multibeam sonar mapping programs. Prior to joining MI, he provided geospatial services in support of observatory operations at Ocean Networks Canada (2019).