about

Alejandra “Ale” Sanchez-Rios is an upper-ocean physical oceanographer whose research focuses on the interplay between ocean mixing, stratification, and sound. Her work examines how along-isopycnal temperature–salinity variability (“spice”) shapes ocean structure and influences acoustic propagation, particularly in dynamically active regions.

Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, she completed her undergraduate studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), where she developed a foundation in oceanography and field-based research. Her background includes observational and analytical work across diverse ocean environments, from high-latitude systems to subtropical gyres, with experience in ship-based campaigns, autonomous platforms, and microstructure measurements.

She integrates observations from Seagliders, Wirewalkers, and turbulence profilers to investigate how fine-scale variability emerges and evolves, and how it impacts larger-scale ocean dynamics. As an early-career faculty member, she is building a research program that connects physical oceanography with acoustics to improve understanding and predictability of complex ocean environments.

Alyk Moomaw is an engineer-turned-scientist interested in the challenges of measuring understudied phenomena in climate-critical regions. Alyk earned their B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2023. There, they also worked in the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle group, collaborating on the design and development of low-cost greenhouse gas measurement tools for use in flooded forests in the Brazilian Amazon. They are beginning their graduate studies at UH Mānoa in the Ocean Mixing and Acoustics lab in Fall 2026, investigating the structure of the transition layer around the Hawaiian Islands.