By For more than 25 years, the Shark Lab at Long Beach State has been a home for Christopher Lowe. The lab, which focused on studying marine animals and training the next generation of marine biologists, has benefited from Lowe’s experience and passion for marine biology.
In August, Lowe decided to retire from his work at Long Beach State’s Shark Lab and marine biology program. He will continue teaching and working in the lab as he goes through the Faculty Early Retirement Program or FERP.
While his time at CSULB is coming to a close, Lowe has made significant contributions to the institution, his students and marine biology.
Growing up in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Lowe spent his youth on an island swimming, boating and fishing.
His mother’s family lived in the area for years, and his family had a constant connection to the ocean. Lowe said his grandfather had been a commercial fisherman for a living.
Lowe stayed close to his family’s relationship with the ocean but forged his own path and relationship with it.
“No one in my family went to college, and I was the first. And I thought, ‘You know I really love fishing. I love being in the ocean. I wonder if there’s another way to make a living that doesn’t involve commercial fishing,’” Lowe said.
This set him on a path to meeting and learning from Donald Nelson, the founder of what would later become known as the Shark Lab.
While working on the cape as a young man, Lowe developed an interest in shark behavior by reading Nelson’s writings, which eventually led to an opportunity to work with the man he refers to as “the grandfather of studying sharks.”
Lowe’s passion for learning about shark behavior and new technology inspired him to talk with Nelson about attending graduate school, to which Nelson encouraged him to attend Long Beach State.
Lowe’s youthful passion for learning matches his passion for helping students with their own learning endeavors. Zach Merson, a Shark Lab field technician, said it is Lowe’s drive and passion that leave the strongest impression during their interactions.
Christopher Lowe’s expertise in sharks and marine biology has been featured on platforms including National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. Photo credit: Justin Enriquez
According to Merson, Lowe’s greatest contribution to CSULB is his mentorship of students.
“Because once the student leaves the lab, that’s not the end of their journey,” Merson said. “They move on to be influential scientists in government; many of them are professors, in their own right, now mentoring, kind of the next generation of students as well.”
While studying at CSULB, Lowe met his future wife, Gwen Goodmanlowe.
Lowe said the pair went to the University of Hawai’i, where they earned their doctoral degrees in a “full circle moment.”
Lowe returned to Long Beach State in 1998 to run the Shark Lab he once studied in. Now, more than two decades later, his career at CSULB nears its end as he enters the first phases of the FERP.
He jokingly referred to the program as faculty parole. “It’s like easing us [faculty] back into society,” Lowe said.
Biological Sciences Department Chair Jesse Dillon said Lowe retiring from his position at CSULB’s Shark Lab was a “blow” to the department.
Dillon said some things such as Lowe’s wife retiring and funding coming to an end for the lab, could have been indicators that Lowe might retire.
Despite that, Dillon said the retirement announcement was still surprising. The department has had issues with faculty retiring and unexpectedly leaving after the COVID-19 pandemic ended.
“But when I say it’s a blow…I guess we can say some retirements are more impactful than others,” Dillon said.
Lowe said he stretched the California Shark Beach Safety Program funding, which should have run out two years ago, as much as possible.
Unfortunately, the 2025 to 2026 Governor’s state budget announced earlier this year has not helped matters.
State funding for the California State University system has been an issue and has been on the CSU’s radar since last year. Keeping those issues in mind, Lowe continues looking for program donors.
Dillon stated that the search for Lowe’s replacement has not yet begun.
Lowe said that, given budget constraints at the CSU and university levels, he is working to secure an endowment for the program and plans to remain in his role until the department and the university can hire a successor.
After retiring, Lowe said he plans to focus on his science communication company, Dr. Shark LLC, where he may consult, develop or host a show.
Lowe wants students to understand that their teachers are invested in their success, which is why faculty encourage them to push themselves.
“Our goal for you is to become the best you could possibly be. That’s it,” Lowe said.
