Gordon was born on the west coast of Canada in the small town of Nanaimo in British Columbia.  There he spent the majority of his childhood exploring the beaches and rocky coast where he fell in love with the ocean’s creatures.  He decided to pursue a computer science degree before moving across Canada to complete his Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology and Statistics.  Gordon was fortunate to enroll in a co-op program and was placed with Dr. James D. Reimer at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Japan, where he worked on biodiversity of zoanthids.  He was able to present this research at a conference in Taiwan where he met Dr. Berumen as well as fellow KAUST professors and students. 

Gordon's research interests include biodiversity of invertebrate reef life including (but not limited to) zoanthids, octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. Gordon also enjoys many sports including golf, football, basketball, soccer, badminton, and tennis, as well as lifting weights.​