Professor

• Jun 2006 - Present

Professor

• Jun 2006 - Present

Division Director, Ocean Sciences

• Jul 2018 - Jul 2022

I started in the position of Division Director in the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), in July of 2018. My appointment is as a rotator under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). The last two years have been an interesting time to serve in the government given last year’s partial government shutdown and now the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Despite these challenges, I successfully led my team to gain National Science Board approval for the renewal of the JOIDES Resolution Science Operator ($382M over 5 years). I am currently working with my team conducting a formal review and assessment of the model being used to provide administrative support across the various activities in the Division of Ocean Sciences.I have worked to create a culture that embraces the importance of science communication with the broader community and to our NSF-funded Principal Investigators. I am actively recruiting for an AAAS Fellow in Science Communication and Policy to join our team in Ocean Sciences. We also now have common-language science highlights for discussion at the weekly executive team meetings of the GEO Directorate. These summaries are also made available to the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. I have expanded my team’s efforts associated with Oceans Month (June). These efforts include Facebook live events from scientists at sea, participation in Congressional Hill Ocean Week activities, and the creation of a Frontiers in Ocean Science Seminar highlighting the discoveries made by early-career scientists.

Director and Professor

• Aug 2008 - Jul 2018

I was the Director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) for nine years (2009-2018). Prior to that, I was the Interim Director for a year and Associate Director for two years. UTIG is a research unit in the Jackson School of Geosciences, which is one of the most extensive geoscience programs in the country. UTIG has a long history of research excellence in marine geology and geophysics, applied geophysics, and airborne geophysics. As Director, I lead the efforts to diversify UTIG’s research portfolio by implementing a strategy where core strength was maintained. At the same time, growth and recruitment focused on the fields of polar and planetary geophysics and climate dynamics. I initiated an institutional postdoc program that is also a recruiting tool for full-time staff positions. I re-organized and increased investment in our weekly science seminar series, focusing on bringing young, rising stars to our campus as a strategic recruiting tool. I also spearheaded a branding and marketing review that produced a new logo, social media presence, and website for UTIG. These and other leadership initiatives resulted in an increase in the number of early-career scientists at UTIG from one in 2009 to twelve in 2018. In addition, the number of female scientists at UTIG increased from two in 2007 to seven in 2018. These initiatives also resulted in a positive cultural change at UTIG and a surge in research activity. Specifically, under my leadership UTIG experienced: 1) annual contracts and grants received reach record levels (>$23M in FY18); 2) a 2.5x increase in research expenditures (>$13M in FY18); 3) a new royalty stream by partnering with a geophysical service company to market seismic data from the Gulf of Mexico, which has yielded >$4M in royalties to UTIG; and 4) an increase in the annual investment from the Vetlesen Foundation from $100k to $300k

Professor

• 1991 - 2005

As an academic scholar, I was focused on classroom education, mentoring students, and creating knowledge through research activities. As an academic scholar, I was focused on classroom education, mentoring students, and creating knowledge through research activities.