He was a professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science and the founder of the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation.
Gruber was a recognized authority on shark science,[2] having completed 49 Atlantic research cruises and 170 scientific publications.
[7] Gruber established the now world-famous "Shark Lab" in 1990, after successfully battling malignant lymphoma.
[8] The next year he helped found and served as the first chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group.
[9] In August 2008, Gruber appeared on the History Channel's documentary series, Evolve episode 4, entitled "Sex".