Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

mlml.sjsu.edu

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is a CSU-system marine science graduate education and research institution operated by San Jose State University since 1966. It serves graduate students through a Master's program and federal agencies — primarily NOAA and NASA — through sponsored research across oceanography, ecology, and ocean modeling.

Company typePrivate
Founded1966
HeadquartersMoss Landing, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Moss Landing Marine Laboratories does

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) is a graduate marine science research and education institution established in 1966 and operated by San Jose State University within the California State University system. Headquartered at the head of Monterey Submarine Canyon in Moss Landing, California, MLML's primary customer segments are graduate students pursuing a Master's degree in Marine Science and federal/state government agencies — most notably NOAA — that require marine research, monitoring, and species assessment capacity. The institution also serves academic peers (UC Santa Cruz, CSUMB, MBARI) through collaborative research, and engages the general public via an annual Open House attracting 2,700+ visitors.

MLML's core products span educational programs and research services. Educational output is the Master's Program in Marine Science, with curriculum covering biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography, ichthyology, invertebrate ecology, phycology, and vertebrate ecology. Research output is delivered through ten faculty labs and ten affiliated labs/centers (e.g., Pacific Shark Research Center, Central Coast Wetlands Group, Ocean Modeling Lab, MPSL, Subseafloor Lab). Underlying research infrastructure includes the LEED Gold-certified main facility, the Norte Facility, a 2014 aquaculture facility (450 gallons/minute seawater capacity), Marine Operations, Scientific Diving, the MLML/MBARI Research Library, the Environmental Analytical Lab, and a Public Data Portal. Notable research capabilities include ECCO-Darwin ocean biogeochemistry modeling on NASA's Pleiades supercomputer, bio-telemetry integrated with satellite remote sensing, passive acoustic monitoring, and deep learning for climate/ocean analysis.

MLML's revenue mechanics are non-commercial and public-sector in nature. Funding sources include CSU system allocations and SJSU tuition (Graduate Education Tuition and Fees, billed annually per CSU rates), sponsored research grants from federal agencies (NOAA, NASA), state/foundation grants (CA Sea Grant, COAST, Anthropocene Institute, Packard Foundation, Ocean Visions, Google.org), and donations plus crowdfunding (a $25,000 annual Open House fundraising goal, plus SJSU giving platform campaigns). MLML's go-to-market is institutional: it recruits graduate students through academic partnerships, recruitment events, and application assistance workshops; it secures research engagements through faculty grant-writing and federal agency partnerships; and it conducts community outreach through Open House, seminars (livestreamed via YouTube), and Science Saturday / Whalefest participation. The lab does not publish revenue figures, has no commercial product pricing, and operates without venture or private equity ownership.

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Legal name: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (San Jose State University)
Website: https://mlml.sjsu.edu
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1966
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is a CSU-system marine science graduate education and research institution operated by San Jose State University since 1966. It serves graduate students through a Master's program and federal agencies — primarily NOAA and NASA — through sponsored research across oceanography, ecology, and ocean modeling.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories industry classification

Industry

SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
akta.pro primary industry: Marine Engineering & Engine Room Operations (EDAOANAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Naval Training, Simulation & Shore-Based Test Facilities (IMAJABAN)

Keywords

Marine science research
Graduate marine education
Oceanography research
Marine biology studies
Coastal ecology research

Where Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Moss Landing
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Graduate Education Tuition and Fees: Revenue from graduate student tuition and fees for the Master's Program in Marine Science, including course fees and facility charges.
Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: External funding from government agencies (NOAA, NASA), foundations (Google.org, Ocean Visions, Packard Foundation, Anthropocene Institute, CA Sea Grant, COAST), and other research sponsors to support specific research projects and programs.
Donations and Crowdfunding: Charitable donations and crowdfunding campaigns supporting student scholarships, research equipment, and operational costs. Annual Open House events and scholarship receptions serve as fundraising mechanisms.
Event Revenue: Revenue from community events including Open House activities, food sales, merchandise, and silent auctions.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Graduate program tuition and fees

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is the marine science research and graduate education arm of San Jose State University, delivering a Master's Program in Marine Science alongside multi-disciplinary research across biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography, ichthyology, and invertebrate ecology. It operates specialized research labs, research vessels, scientific diving, environmental analytical labs, a research library, and a public data portal to support graduate training and externally funded research for government agencies and foundations.

Product overview

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) is a research institution affiliated with San José State University that provisions marine scientists through a master's program and various research services. The institution operates multiple specialized research labs including Biological Oceanography, Physical Oceanography, Chemical Oceanography, Geological Oceanography, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Ecology, Phycology, Computational Oceanography, and Vertebrate Ecology. MLML provides supporting infrastructure including a Research Library, Environmental Analytical Lab, Marine Operations, Scientific Diving program, Museum, Public Data Portal, and Instrumentation Services. MLML also maintains affiliated research centers including the Central Coast Wetlands Group, Pacific Shark Research Center, Ocean Modeling Lab, and MPSL (Marine Pollution Studies Lab). The institution conducts ongoing environmental monitoring including estuary battery fire research and metal fallout studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Master's Program in Marine Science

Quantifiable outcome

Over 2,700 visitors annually at Open House events, demonstrating community engagement and science communication impact
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories technology and API

Technology

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2018Collaborative partnership for Olympia oyster restoration using aquaculture, environmental monitoring, and estuarine research. First attempt to support native oyster restoration through aquaculture in California.
NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Benson stationed at MLML as co-investigator of the leatherback turtle ecology program, integrating bio-telemetry, aerial surveys, and satellite remote sensing for marine turtle research.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative marine research relationship with nearby MBARI, including joint seminars, research collaborations, and shared use of advanced ocean technology.
NASAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration utilizing NASA's Pleiades supercomputer and ECCO-Darwin ocean biogeochemistry model for marine carbon dioxide removal research simulations.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative participation in Olympia oyster restoration research at Elkhorn Slough alongside MLML researchers.
California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership including shared courses, thesis committee participation, collaborative research, and joint hosting of events like Sea Lion Bowl competition.
University of California Santa CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership including joint seminars, faculty exchanges, and collaborative research in marine sciences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

University of Washington School of Oceanography: Graduate oceanography program at UW with multi-disciplinary research labs and NOAA-funded programs. Comparable as a U.S. West Coast academic oceanography unit offering graduate degrees and conducting federally funded marine research.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Private, non-profit oceanographic research and graduate education institution on the U.S. East Coast. Closest structural peer in combining graduate-level marine science education, multi-disciplinary research labs, federal grant reliance, and long-tenured faculty research leadership.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: UC San Diego's graduate oceanographic research and education institution. Direct comparable in mission (graduate marine science research and education), multi-disciplinary labs, and federal grant funding model, though operating at materially larger scale as part of a major research university.
University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography: Graduate oceanography program at URI with coastal research facilities and NOAA partnerships. Comparable as a U.S. graduate marine science school with federal grant reliance, coastal research fleet, and multi-disciplinary oceanography labs.
Skidaway Island Oceanographic Institute (UGA): University of Georgia's coastal marine research campus offering graduate research and multi-disciplinary ocean science labs. Comparable as a university-affiliated marine research facility with coastal location, federal grants, and graduate training programs.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU): Florida Atlantic University's oceanographic research institute offering graduate marine science programs and applied ocean research. Comparable as a university-affiliated marine lab combining graduate education, federal research funding, and ocean technology development.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: Independent, non-profit oceanographic research institute in East Boothbay, Maine. Similar in scale and structure as a stand-alone marine research lab with multi-disciplinary faculty, federal grant reliance, and graduate education partnerships rather than degree-granting status.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI): Adjacent marine research institute in Moss Landing co-located with MLML. Operates advanced ocean technology, deep-sea research, and collaborative relationships with MLML faculty and students, making it a tightly-coupled local peer in the Monterey Bay marine science cluster.
Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center: Coastal marine science research and graduate education campus of Oregon State University in Newport, Oregon. Directly comparable as a university-affiliated marine lab offering graduate research, field stations, and partnerships with NOAA Fisheries on the West Coast.

Broad incumbents

NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory: Federal oceanographic research laboratory under NOAA conducting large-scale Pacific ocean and climate research. Comparable in research scope and federal funding profile, though operating as a government agency lab rather than a graduate-degree institution; MLML has formal ties through its NOAA co-investigator work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries10 records

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

What does Moss Landing Marine Laboratories do?

Is Moss Landing Marine Laboratories a public or private company?

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is a private company. It is currently operating.

When was Moss Landing Marine Laboratories founded?

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories was founded in 1966. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is Moss Landing Marine Laboratories based?

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is headquartered in Moss Landing, United States, in the North America region.

How does Moss Landing Marine Laboratories make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Graduate Education Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Sponsored Programs, donations and Crowdfunding and event Revenue.

Who are Moss Landing Marine Laboratories's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are University of Washington School of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Skidaway Island Oceanographic Institute (UGA), Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU), Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center. NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Moss Landing Marine Laboratories have an API?

No public API is recorded for Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

What industry is Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in?

Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOANAB, Marine Engineering & Engine Room Operations, with a secondary code of IMAJABAN, Naval Training, Simulation & Shore-Based Test Facilities. Its SIC code is 8200.