Alex Kahl is a civil servant in NOAA's Pacific Islands Regional Office, where he serves as an international fisheries manager, representing the United States government at multilateral organizations across the Pacific region. Prior to joining NOAA, he spent seven years at the U.S. Department of State working on economic sanctions, counter-terrorism and threats to energy infrastructure, energy markets, and regional energy geopolitics in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Dr. Kahl entered government in 2010 as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow in Washington, D.C. Prior to entering government, he was a senior scientist at Palmer Station in Antarctica, where his research pioneered the use of autonomous underwater vehicles in polar environments. Dr. Kahl earned his Ph.D. in Oceanography from Rutgers University. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Hydrology and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He resides on the North Shore of Oahu with his wife, son, and two dogs.