OUR STORY

In 2017, after witnessing the degradation of the oceans while scuba diving and sailing, Dean Wenham decided to use his sailboat for good and contribute to microplastics research. To his surprise, the only technology available to sample microplastics - especially at depth - were heavy, expensive and impossible to deploy from a small sailboat. Not to mention, a manual and labour-intensive and often qualitative analysis process.

Dean thought, if he found it difficult to research microplastics, it must be challenging for scientists to find answers to their research questions about ocean health and the effects of microplastic pollution. 

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By chance, he stumbled upon the work of Ethan Edson, a young and dynamic marine scientist and engineer studying at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. Having collaborated on multiple microplastics research projects and spending a semester at sea using Neuston Nets, Ethan was familiar with the painstaking and limited processes of collecting and analyzing microplastics. At the time, he was developing microplastics sensor technology to help advance the field. Dean connected with Ethan and the two immediately hit it off.  

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Combining Dean’s seasoned pharmaceutical science and business experience with Ethan’s engineering and marine science skills, and a shared passion for ocean protection, Ocean Diagnostics was born. Now, our growing team of problem solvers, innovators and explorers break barriers for scientists and citizens to study microplastics and influence global change.