• Home
• About VIMS
• Working Here
• VIMS Faculty & Staff Portal
• VIMS Overview

VIMS Overview

Welcome to VIMS!

"As one of the largest and most respected marine research and education centers in the country, VIMS is unique among its peers.  As both a school of William & Mary (the School of Marine Science) and a stand-alone advisory agency for the Commonwealth, we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve, and have the expertise and resources necessary to provide practical and meaningful guidance to policy makers and the public in highly-used and heavily-populated coastal and estuarine systems." - VIMS Dean & Director D. Derek Aday

Dean & Director Aday serves as the chief executive officer of VIMS and the School of Marine Science (SMS). He reports to the William & Mary President for matters relating to the state-mandated responsibilities of VIMS and to the William & Mary Provost for academic matters.  

Learn more about Dean & Director Aday and the VIMS Leadership team... 

Quick links: VIMS Strategic Plan; VIMS in the News - Top Stories

Campuses Quick links: VIMS campus photo tour I; VIMS campus photo tour II; Eastern Shore Lab; Kauffman Aquaculture Center Our campuses include the main campus in Gloucester Point, the Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague, Virginia and the Kauffman Aquaculture Center campus in Topping Virginia.

Organizational Structure VIMS faculty, staff, and students are housed in: Academic sections - Coastal & Ocean Processes, Ecosystem Health, Natural Resources Research & advisory centers - Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC), Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM), Marine Advisory Program (MAP) Partnership programs - Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR), Virginia Sea Grant  Supporting units (note: some of these links are intranet (LAN, local area network) and are only available on campus or when using VPN): Academic Affairs Analytical Services Communications & Marketing Facilities Management Finance Information Technology & Networking Services (ITNS) Marine Operations Office of the Dean & Director (Administration, Human Resources) Research & Advisory Service Safety and Environmental Programs Sponsored Programs

Did you know?  
VIMS was founded as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory (VFL) in 1940 through the efforts of Dr. Donald W. Davis, then chair of the William & Mary Biology Department. The VFL was named the Virginia Institute of Marine Science by an Act of Virginia's General Assembly in 1962.  VIMS returned to the administrative umbrella of William & Mary in 1979.

Visit VIMS at a Glance for more VIMS/SMS history and photo galleries.