Paul G. Falkowski studied biology at the City College of the City University of New York (B.S. and M.A.) and obtained a Ph. D. in Biology and Biophysics at the University of British Columbia, Canada in 1975. Soon afterwards, he became Senior Scientist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He served as Head of Oceanographic Sciences Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1987-1991. In 1998 he joined Rutgers University as a professor at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and at the Department of Geology.

Falkowski has researched phytoplankton both in culture and in the field. This approach allows photosynthesis to be surveyed over large temporal and spatial scales. He has shed light on the influence of the oceans on the primary production of the biosphere. He has advised NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research.

Falkowski is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has been a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow.