David C. Culver received his Ph.D. in 1970 in Biology from Yale University. He is currently Professor of Biology and Associate Dean for Science at American University in Washington, DC, with broad research interests in subterranean biology, especially biodiversity, biogeography, and ecosystem function. Culver is Treasurer of the Karst Waters Institute, a member of the Virginia Cave Board, and an Honorary Life Member of the National Speleological Society.
Tanja Pipan received her Ph.D. in 2003 in Biology from University of Ljubljana. She is currently Research Fellow at the Karst Research Institute ZRC-SAZU with research interests in the ecology, biology, and systematics of the subterranean copepod fauna, especially in the epikarst. Pipan is country coordinator for the Slovenian Long Term Ecological Research program, and Assistant Professor of Karstology at University of Koper. She received the 2004 award from the International Society for Subterranean Biology for best presentation at the meeting in Raipur, India and an award in 2005 for best paper at the International Association of Hydrogeology meeting in Kotar, Montenegro.