Marine Biological Hall of Distinction: Dr. Richard C. Brusca

The Persaud Catalog
Nov 25
5 min read

*A splendid photograph of Richard C. Brusca & his hound, an 80-pound golden doodle named Alfred Russell Wallace. Credit to Wendy Moore.*

This article is part of our collection known as the Marine Hall of Distinction. In this special collection, we will discuss marine biologists who have made the most significant contributions to marine biology and oceanography. We do this to commemorate these marine biologists and show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. Today's marine scientist is Dr. Richard C. Brusca.

Dr. Richard C. Brusca is a marine biologist, invertebrate zoologist, conservation ecologist, researcher, & professor with the University of Arizona. He is most well known for his work with invertebrates in the Southwestern U.S. He is one of the foremost Southwestern ecologists of the 20th century, & is the author of some of the most influential texts in naturalism.

In today’s article, we are going to delve into his formative years & education, his personal life & career, his achievements, awards, & accomplishments. With that being said, let us dive into the contributions of Dr. Richard C. Brusca!

His Formative Years & Education

Richard C. Brusca was born on January 25th, 1945, in California, United States of America. Unfortunately, very little is known about his formative years, & the early beginnings of his passion for the natural world.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science at California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, in 1967. Upon receiving it, he quickly progressed to his Master’s Degree, completing it in 1970 at California State University, Los Angeles.

He completed his P.h.D with the University of Arizona at Tucson in 1975.

His Personal Life & Career

Upon completion of his P.h.D, he would go on to join the University of Southern California as a tenured Associate Professor of Biology. During his time with USC, he would conduct research on a variety of different topics, including sponges, shrimp population dynamics, coral reef formation, kelp forest ecology, & isopods. He would also publish 2 books, respectively titled “A Naturalist's Seashore Guide. Common Marine Life of the Northern California Coast and Adjacent Shores”, & “Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California”.

Beginning in 1980, he became the Director of Academic Programs for the Catalina Marine Science Center, a Marine Science institute dedicated to the study of California’s underwater ecosystems. He remained in this role for 3 years.

Upon exiting his role as Director of Academic Programs, he joined the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, as Curator of Crustaceans for their Invertebrate Zoology department. For those unfamiliar, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is one of the largest museums in the United States, & is dedicated to natural history as well as life. It covers over 4.5 billion years of history, with over 35 million specimens & artifacts.

He left the role of curator in 1987, entering a new position as a Joshua L. Bailey curator with the San Diego Museum of Natural History in their Invertebrate Zoology section. He quickly moved up the ranks, becoming Chief Curator in 1988, & Director of Research & Collections in 1990, before leaving in 1993.

Taking his expertise across the U.S, he joined the University of Charleston, South Carolina, as the Director of the Graduate Marine Biology Program, as well as a Professor of Biology. In this role, he published 10 publications, with the topics ranging from the Sea of Cortez, to tropical crustaceans, & temperate arthropods of the northeast. He would leave this role after 5 years, in 1998, this time heading north.

Going north, Dr. Brusca soon became a Senior Research Scientist with the prestigious Columbia University, & a Research Scientist in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology with the University of Arizona at Tucson. Although he would leave Columbia in 2001, he has remained at the University of Arizona for the past 27 years, although he retired in 2024. Despite retiring, he retains the role of Designated Campus Colleague.

Alongside his role as a Professor & Researcher, he became the Executive Director of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in 2001, before stepping back to become Executive Director Emeritus in 2012.

Dr. Brusca is a prominent scientist, & one of the most influential zoologists of the 20th, & 21st centuries, however, we would be incorrect in solely portraying him as such. In addition to being a brilliant researcher, Dr. Brusca is also a fiction author, with 2 books titled “The Time Travelers”, 2019, & “In The Land of the Feathered Serpent”, 2023, both of which incorporate prominent Latin American cultural themes. For these titles, he has won the Biba Best Literary Fiction of 2022, 2023 Tucson Festival of Books Indie Author Experience Best in Adult Fiction, & the 2024 Independent Press Award for Hispanic Fiction.

Dr. Brusca is currently conducting research related to the Biodiversity & Conservation of the Sea of Cortez, the Biogeography & Biodiversity of Arizona’s Sky Islands, & the Cultural Anthropology of Mesoamerica. He is still actively publishing papers as well as research, with his most recent publication at the time of publishing titled “Religion, science and common sense in times of global environmental crisis”, for El Universal.

The career of Dr. Richard Brusca paints a story of determination, ambition, & extraordinary passion. May he continue to serve the field of marine science for many years to come.

*Dr. Richard C. Brusca hiking with his hound, Alfred Russel Wallace, in the Colorado Plateau. Credit to Dr. Richard C. Brusca.*

His Achievements, Accomplishments, & Awards

He has written over 200 academic publications & published over 20 books, including Invertebrates, which is the largest-selling text in all of zoology.
He has successfully published in a variety of fields, including fiction, invertebrate zoology, the Sea of Cortez, the intertidal zone, & desert ecology.
He has been the recipient of over 100 research grants from the Charles Lindberg Foundation, National Science Foundation, National Atmospheric & Oceanic Administration, & the David & Lucile Packard Foundation.
He has organized research expeditions in at least 50 countries, & on every continent, including Antarctica.
He is a National Geographic Explorer, which is an award given to exceptional individuals in their field.
He was awarded the Luminaria Award by the Arizona Desert Museum.
He was awarded the U.S. Department of Defence Civilian Service Medal.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, & the California Academy of Sciences.