University of Haifa
Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Hatter Department of Marine Technologies
Research Areas
Underwater computer vision
Animal vision
Ocean optics
Dr. Derya Akkaynak is an engineer and oceanographer whose research focuses on the physics of light propagation and color sensing in the ocean. Trained in aerospace engineering (BSc, Middle East Technical University) and aeronautics and astronautics (MSc, MIT), she later earned a PhD in Mechanical and Oceanographic Engineering from the MIT–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. In 2022, she established the Laboratory for Computational Optics and Light in the Ocean Realm (COLOR Lab) at the University of Haifa, located in Eilat on the Red Sea. Dr. Akkaynak develops physics-based models and computer vision algorithms that address fundamental challenges in underwater imaging, such as color reconstruction, visibility, and object detection in complex light fields. Her work bridges ocean optics, image formation theory, and machine learning, with applications in marine ecology, underwater archaeology, and robotics. She holds professional, scientific, and technical diving certifications, and has conducted fieldwork from the Bering Sea to Antarctica. In recognition of her contributions to underwater computer vision, she was named a 2019 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists honoree in Physics & Engineering, and in 2025, won a Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research.
Research Topics for Master’s and Doctoral Theses
Why are there colors in the ocean?
This is the main question the COLOR Lab studies in a multi- and inter-disciplinary way. How are colors structured, distributed, changing across the seafloor at large spatial and temporal scales?
What scientifically useful information can we learn from color-calibrated imaging of the ocean floor? How can we adapt RGB cameras to become scientific tools?
We have projects that combine ocean optics, computer vision, machine learning, ecology, as well as hardware development for DIY underwater cameras and sensors.