Teagan Cunningham

Teagan Cunningham, 23, is from Saddle River, NJ. She graduated from Bowdoin College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Oceanographic Science. Teagan has always had a passion for the ocean. She started sailing on the Jersey Shore at age 8, competed for team USA at age 13, and went on to sail competitively in college.

In summer 2021, Teagan participated in a Seamester program on a 100 ft. schooner in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Teagan took oceanography classes and obtained her Open Water and Advanced Open Water scuba certifications. After graduation, Teagan went to Key Largo, Florida to complete her Divemaster training and began working as a Divemaster at Rainbow Reef Dive Center.

Teagan’s research interests are broad, ranging from large¬-scale ocean circulation to climate variability to microplastics. She conducted research looking at microplastic concentrations in marine life in summer 2022 with the Quahog Bay Conservancy.

Teagan hopes to combine her love of ocean studies, sailing, and scuba diving in a professional way after gaining her AAUS Scientific Diver certification. She plans on beginning her oceanography graduate studies in Fall 2024 with goals of conducting globally impactful research while also educating students, especially young women, interested in ocean science and hopes to focus her research on climate variability and ocean currents. Teagan is thrilled to be the 2024 Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Intern and looks forward to meeting many influential people in the ocean sciences and underwater world!