Margaret Leinen Selected as UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences and Scripps Director
– July 25, 2013
 Dr. Margaret Leinen |
The GoMRI science community congratulates one of our own, Dr. Margaret Leinen, on her appointment as the University of California San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences.
After an extensive national search for a leader with a distinguished record of research, teaching, and service, Dr. Leinen’s selection came from a highly competitive pool of ocean and environmental science leaders. Her appointment begins this October.
Leinen is an award-winning oceanographer and an accomplished executive with extensive national and international experience in ocean science, global climate and environmental issues, federal research administration, and non-profit startups. Dr. Leinen’s research focus is in paleo-oceanography and paleo-climatology, studying ocean sediments and their relationship to global biogeochemical cycles and the history of Earth’s ocean and climate.
“I am honored to be chosen as Scripps Director and UC San Diego Vice Chancellor,” said Dr. Leinen. “I am excited by the combination of Scripps’s 110 years of research and educational excellence and UC San Diego’s culture of interdisciplinary innovation.”
Leinen joins UC San Diego, continuing her impressive academic and administrative career. She served for seven years at the National Science Foundation (NSF) as Assistant Director for Geosciences and Coordinator of Environmental Research and Education. Leinen is currently the Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Initiatives and Executive Director of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, a unit of Florida Atlantic University. She is President-Elect of the American Geophysical Union. Leinen serves on the board of the National Council for Science and the Environment, and she is vice chair of the Research Board of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).
“Dr. Margaret Leinen’s dedicated career serving the oceanographic community clearly speaks to her deep care for the health and preservation of our oceans. UC San Diego made an excellent choice, and Margaret’s experienced leadership will continue to advance ocean research, education, and policy to the benefit of society,” said Dr. Rita Colwell, GoMRI Research Board Chair.
“UCSD, SIO and the UC System are fortunate to have Dr. Margaret Leinen in this leadership position, as is the world of ocean sciences and geosciences,” said Dr. John W. Farrington, GoMRI Research Board member.
“Dr. Leinen’s experience leading innovation and creating collaborative programs make her the right choice for Scripps and a key campus partner in implementing UC San Diego’s strategic plan,” said UC Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.
Upon learning the news of Leinen’s appointment, accolades poured in from around the science community and government agencies. For more information about Dr. Leinen’s appointment, accolades, and details about her involvement and leadership in the scientific community, please read the Scripps news release.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego, is one of the world’s oldest and largest centers for global science research and education. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system.
The GoMRI Research Board consists of twenty members – ten appointed by BP and ten appointed by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. The Research Board is the decision-making and oversight body regarding research conducted pursuant to the GoMRI. The role of the Research Board is to ensure the intellectual quality, research effectiveness, and academic independence of the GoMRI programs.
The GoMRI research program is made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative – a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.
© Copyright 2010- 2017 Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) – All Rights Reserved. Redistribution is encouraged with acknowledgement to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). Please credit images and/or videos as done in each article. Questions? Contact web-content editor Nilde “Maggie” Dannreuther, Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University (maggied@ngi.msstate.edu).
