​John's research involves the use of satellite remote sensing to monitor and study phytoplankton dynamics across the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. Currently, He is investigating how the timing and community structure of seasonal phytoplankton blooms in the Red Sea may be changing in relation to the regional physical environment and the broader climate regime.

• Evaluating tropical phytoplankton phenology metrics using contemporary tools
  J.A. Gittings, D.E Raitsos, M. Kheireddine, M.F. Racault, H. Claustre & I. Hoteit
  Scientific Reports, in press
• Impacts of warming on phytoplankton abundance and phenology in a typical tropical marine ecosystem
  J.A. Gittings, D.E. Raitsos, G. Krokos & I. Hoteit
  Scientific Reports, 8(1), 2240, 2018
• Remote sensing of environment seasonal phytoplankton blooms in the Gulf of Aden revealed by remote sensing
  J.A. Gittings, D.E. Raitsos, M.F Racault, R.J.W. Brewin, Y. Pradhan, S. Sathyendranath & T. Platt
  Remote Sensing of Environment. 189, 56–66, 2017
• The Gulf of Aden intermediate water intrusion regulates the southern Red Sea summer phytoplankton blooms
  D. Dreano, D.E. Raitsos, J.A. Gittings, G. Krokos & I. Hoteit
  PLoS ONE, 1–20, 2016

• B.Sc. Marine Biology and Oceanography, Plymouth University, United Kingdom, 2015
• M.Sc. Marine Sciences and Engineering, KAUST, May 2016 – Nov 2016, Climate warming and interannual variability of phytoplankton phenology in the Northern Red Sea
• PhD, KAUST, Dec 2016 – Nov 2020, A contemporary investigation on phytoplankton ecological indicators in the Red Sea 

• Living Planet Fellowship from the European Space Agency

• Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE)