Connor Gibbons

At a very young age, Connor became interested in marine life after reading about the fantastical battles of giant squid and sperm whales in Joyce Milton’s book “Whales and Other Creatures of the Sea”. Since then, Connor has dedicated his career to understanding cephalopods.

Connor received a B.S in Marine Science from Rutgers University in 2016. After graduating, Connor worked as an aquarist at Jenkinson’s Aquarium in New Jersey and became involved in cephalopod aquaculture. Connor moved to the New York Aquarium in 2018 to assist with the opening of their award-winning shark exhibit, “Ocean Wonders: Sharks!” After becoming senior aquarist, Connor opened an invertebrate-themed exhibit, “Spineless”. In this role, Connor oversaw the care of all fish and invertebrate species, and started a breeding program for both cephalopods and jellyfish. Shortly before leaving the New York Aquarium, Connor was appointed the Species Survival Plan (SSP) Coordinator of Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia sp.) for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Connor joined the Axel lab in 2021 as the Cephalopod Facility Manager. Connor oversees the culturing of dwarf cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis), a dynamic cephalopod species used by the lab to study the neural basis of camouflage.

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