During 1989-1994 the branch was ruled by geographer, Professor Oleksandr Bronfman, but Yuvenali Zaitsev started to be the most famous researcher of the institute.

The Odesa branch of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas was reorganized into the Institute of Marine Biology by the resolution #161 of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, dated July 2, 2014.

The main scientific direction of the institute is the complex study of the different approaches of biology and ecology of marine ecosystems.

The institute provides scientific expertise, improves the methods of protection and management of ecosystems and their sustainable development.

The Institute provides training of scientific personnel by the post-graduate and post-doc studies on the hydrobiological and zoological specialisations.