Meet the Winners:
2026 BioOne Ambassador
The power of a name: How understanding biodiversity leads to sustainable oceans
“A thing without a name has no substance. If it existed, it would have a name.”
– George R. R. Martin, Dying of the Light
You have a name. Whether it was given to you or is a name you chose, your name is powerful. Your name gives you an identity, distinguishing you from other people. Your name empowers better communication, allowing others to acknowledge your identity and affirm your place in social interactions. Your name may demonstrate your ancestry, such as a surname you share with the rest of your family. Your name also provides legal identification of you and allows for accurate record keeping of your activities and accomplishments, critical components in our global society. While the names we all have are familiar, who gives the fish we see swimming in the ocean, lake, or aquarium their name? And why does their name matter?
Like all identified life, different species of fish have different names. Much like ours, their names give them identity, distinguishing them from other fish, and allow us to understand their ancestry. There are legal implications for the names of fish, too, as these names are applied in efforts to conserve them, ensure they are managed properly in fisheries, and are referred to accurately in public policy. Scientists use a shared naming system to give Latin or Latinized names to all species. For example, the scientific name of the Great Hammerhead Shark is Sphyrna mokarran. The genus name, Sphyrna, which is similar to a surname, identifies the species as closely related to other species of Sphyrna, such as the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini. The species name, mokarran, identifies the individual species and allows us to differentiate it from other close relatives, such as lewini. These names contribute to how we identify and classify fish, and we incorporate other names, such as family names (Sphyrnidae, in the case of hammerhead sharks), that can be used to group many species together and further highlight shared ancestry. Providing fish, as well as all of life, a name is the first and fundamentally most important step in compiling and organizing information about that species. At its heart, my research focuses on the names of fish in a field called systematics. I analyze different kinds of data from fish I collect from around the world and those collected and stored by others in museum collections to test if we are using the right names for each species, or if new or different names are needed. In some cases, I make counts and measurements to see if some fish represent one or more species. In others, I sequence and analyze their genetic to understand how multiple species related to each other. When the data shows a species name represents more than one lineage or a generic name is being applied to species that are not each other’s closest relative, I change or describe new names following the established protocols of scientific nomenclature, ensuring that other scientists, conservationists, and policymakers have accurate information to guide their work. The research questions I ask and answer contribute to a global understanding of fish biodiversity, evolutionary history, and refinement of classification.
My research changes the world by setting the foundation for all other understanding of, and communication about biodiversity, ecosystem health, and evolutionary and ecological relationships that define fish life in the ocean. Employing correct names makes sure we are communicating about the same species. This accuracy is important for fundamental assessments of populations sizes, which in turn ensures that we use the correct data to conserve and manage the correct organisms and habitats. Names of fish tell us which species we catch, ensuring our food is safe and sustainable to eat. Names of fish engage others to identify species they see while swimming, such that they can participate in conservation efforts and report sightings to community science platforms. Names of fish provide glimpses into the past, highlighting shared ancestry among individuals or groups. Names of fish help us ensure that future generations inherit a world where marine ecosystems remain vibrant, diverse, and resilient in the face of today’s constant change.
This summary is in reference to:
Redescription of the Deepwater Freckled Stargazer, Xenocephalus egregius (Uranoscopidae)
Ichthyology & Herpetology, 113(3): 433-444. (2025). Leo M. F. MacLeod, John K. Galbraith, Matthew G. Girard, Katherine E. Bemis
Dr. Matthew Girard
I am an ichthyologist interested in the evolution and biology of fishes. I ask questions about fish classification and relationships, species diversity, anatomical mechanisms, transformations from larvae to adults, and broad evolutionary patterns.
What drew you to the research topic you explored in your submission?
I grew up thinking my interests in “fish” were limited to a home aquarium or rod and reel, never understanding museums were active places of research. In my third year of college, I was introduced to the concept of biodiversity during a class field trip. I became enamored by the diversity of fishes we caught in Illinois creeks during the trip and the process of preserving specimens. When we returned to the lab, I was handed Fishes of Illinois and learned that all of the fishes we collected had names. For the next week, I spent all my out-of-class time learning, identifying, and studying the fishes we collected and was fortunate that the teaching assistant noticed my captivation. She introduced me to the field of systematic ichthyology and fostered my interests in the diversity and natural history of fishes.
How do you see your work contributing to public policy, citizen science, and/or science education more broadly?
My research directly contributes to public policy, community science, and science education by setting the foundation for all understanding of fish life in the ocean. Without the correct names, we cannot communicate about the same species. We cannot accurately assess species or population sizes. We cannot collect data to conserve or manage organisms or habitats. Names of fish tell us which species we catch, ensuring our food is safe and sustainable to eat. Names of fish engage others to identify species they see while swimming, such that they can participate in conservation efforts and report sightings to community science platforms. Names of fish provide glimpses into the past, highlighting shared ancestry among individuals or groups. Names of fish help us ensure that future generations inherit a world where marine ecosystems remain vibrant, diverse, and resilient in the face of today’s constant change.
What are your continuing research goals for the future (near or far)? What topics, areas, subjects are you interested in exploring?
My research has led me to lead the construction of a United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Fishes DNA reference library. This genetic reference library is built of mitochondrial genomes and ribosomal repeat regions and is publicly available via GenBank. Its power is that all the data is linked to a museum specimen voucher, and each specimen has been identified by an expert. This library serves as the foundation for precise species identification, improved, more affordable, rapid, and non-invasive biodiversity monitoring, detection of invasive or endangered species using environmental DNA (eDNA), and provides the underlying genomic data needed to enhance our understanding of evolution.
Is there anything else you want to share about you or your research?
Biodiversity research is often viewed as “old” or not as “sexy” as other research topics, and that view continues to be reflected in the overall decline of taxonomic expertise globally. I want to emphasize that this is a shortsighted viewpoint. Without this foundational research, conservation efforts will fail. Our ability to ensure secure and sustainable food resources will collapse. Local and global economies that rely on the oceans will falter.
“I am so thrilled that Matthew Girard has been named a 2026 BioOne Ambassador. Although this award is based on his 2026 publication in Ichthyology & Herpetology, his past publications in the journal are of the highest caliber and always scientifically important and super interesting. I honestly do not know a young researcher more deserving of this award.”