Dr. Kumar Mahadevan is Executive Director and Senior Scientist of MOTE Marine Laboratory, and President of the Mote Marine Foundation. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the scientific, administrative, educational and public affairs of the laboratory, but is also a benthic ecologist with specific research interests in the investigation of man-induced ecological disturbances.

Prior to joining Mote, Dr. Mahadevan was employed by Conservation Consultants, Inc. (CCI) where he conducted various environmental impact assessment projects. Before joining CCI, Dr. Mahadevan served as a consultant to the Arabian Oil Company to assess the effects of oil refinery effluents on marine organisms. His areas of expertise include: Marine Policy; Research Administration; Public Aquarium Management; Environmental Assessment/Prediction; Oceanography; Benthic Ecology; Deep-Sea Biology; Aquatic Baro-Biology; Biometrical and Statistical Data Analysis.
He received his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Florida State University; his M.S. in Marine Biology from Annamalai University in India; and his B.S. from Madras University in India.