On Friday, January 23, 2026, Dr. Kenneth Hayes was terminated from his position as the Director of the Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity (PCMB) and Curator of Aquatic Molluscs at Bishop Museum. As the Director of PCMB since 2018 and the Curator of Aquatic Molluscs since 2022, Ken was awarded over 6 million dollars through at least 16 grants from agencies such as NSF, USDA, DLNR-DOFAW, USFWS, and the Paul G. Allen Foundation. He oversaw the creation of Pūpū Ola: Kāhuli Protective Rearing Research Center at the museum, where the public can meet and learn about live native Hawaiian land snails on the brink of extinction. He has also helped to initiate and facilitate multiple large-scale educational events, programs and internships focused on conservation, education and mentorship in Hawaiʻi, such as Research Experiences for Teachers Sites in Biological Sciences (BIORETS) and Kāhuli Festival. Bishop Museum has dismissed Ken’s unique and highly specialized expertise in phylogenetics, systematics, invertebrate conservation, education, research and collection management. 

If Ken, or his work, has impacted you, we encourage you to sign this petition to express your dissapointment to the Bishop Museum administration and how the loss of Ken as a resource at the museum will impact malacological research, conservation, education, and the community.