Laura Silliman

Laura Silliman is an American chemical oceanographer and biogeochemist recognized for her pioneering research on the marine carbon cycle and its interactions with global climate systems. A senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, her work integrates field observations, laboratory experiments, and modeling to understand processes like ocean acidification and the biological pump. Her investigations into the cycling of carbon and other elements have significantly advanced the field of marine biogeochemistry.

Early life and education

Growing up near the coast, Silliman developed an early fascination with the ocean, which led her to pursue undergraduate studies in environmental science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, she conducted research on coastal ecosystems under the mentorship of noted marine biologist Dr. Robert Miller. She subsequently earned her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, where her dissertation focused on the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon in the North Atlantic Ocean. Her doctoral advisors included prominent figures in the field such as Dr. Dennis Hansell and Dr. Mary Jane Perry.

Career

Following her Ph.D., Silliman was awarded a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Washington. She then joined the scientific staff at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, rising through the ranks to become a tenured senior scientist in its Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department. Throughout her career, she has served as chief scientist on numerous major research expeditions aboard vessels like the R/V Atlantis and the R/V Knorr, often in collaboration with institutions like the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She has also held visiting scholar positions at the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.

Research and contributions

Silliman's research has fundamentally shaped understanding of the marine carbon cycle. A major contribution is her elucidation of the mechanisms controlling the production and fate of transparent exopolymer particles, key agents in carbon export to the deep ocean. Her team's work in the Sargasso Sea and the Southern Ocean has revealed critical feedbacks between phytoplankton communities, microbial loop processes, and the efficiency of the biological pump. She has also been a leading voice in studying the impacts of ocean acidification on coccolithophores and other calcifying organisms, publishing influential papers in journals like Science and Nature. Her development of novel isotopic tracing techniques, in partnership with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has allowed for unprecedented tracking of carbon flow through pelagic food webs.

Awards and honors

Silliman's scientific impact has been recognized with several major awards, including the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and the American Geophysical Union's Ocean Sciences Early Career Award. She was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. She has also received the Ruth Patrick Award from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography for her integrative environmental research and has served on advisory panels for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Personal life

An avid sailor, Silliman is a member of the Woods Hole Yacht Club and has participated in several Marblehead to Halifax ocean races. She is actively involved in science communication and policy outreach, frequently giving public lectures at venues like the New England Aquarium and testifying before committees of the United States Congress. She resides in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with her family.

Category:American oceanographers Category:Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution people Category:American biogeochemists Category:21st-century American scientists