Oceanography Pioneer and Philanthropist – James L. Cairns – to be Inducted into Florida Inventors Hall of Fame

Dr. James L. Cairns, Founder and Executive Director of the Cairns Foundation, and CEO of Abyssal Systems, Inc, is among the world-class inventors who have been selected as a 2023 Inductee to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

Cairns is the pioneer of underwater electrical/electronic fiber-optic connector technologies that allowed circuits to be successfully and seamlessly mated and de-mated reliably within the harsh environment of the deep ocean.

Dr. James L. Cairns

His innovations revolutionized anti-submarine warfare and subsea surveillance, expanded the industry of ocean energy production, and significantly advanced the fields of Oceanography, Marine Geology and Seismology.  He holds 62 U.S. patents and received the Marine Technology Society’s Compass-Rolex Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award and Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Marine Science and Engineering.  In 2017, he was inducted into the Offshore Energy Center Hall of Fame for Pioneering Technology.

The 2023 Inductees constitute the ninth class to be inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. They collectively hold more than 1,100 U.S. patents and come from across industry, academia, and government. Since its founding in 2013, the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame has inducted 68 inventors, who collectively hold nearly 5,100 U.S. patents.  

Inductees are selected annually through a nomination process open to all inventors (living or deceased) with a connection to the state of Florida. The nominations are reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of distinguished experts in relevant fields of innovation.

The 2023 class of distinguished inventors will be formally inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame at the 10th Anniversary Induction Ceremony and Gala on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street in Downtown Tampa.  

For more information, visit  https://floridainvents.org/2023-inductees.