Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson
Director, Marine Science Program
University of South Carolina
General Session Keynote Speaker
Tuesday, April 9, 8:00 am
Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson currently serves as Director of the Marine Science Program and is a College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences at the University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus and carbon and how these elements are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic processes. She is a diverse scientist, with expertise ranging from radiochemistry to harmful algal bloom toxins. Over the past decade, Dr. Benitez-Nelson has authored or co-authored more than 75 papers.
Her many research honours include the Early Career Award in Oceanography from the American Geophysical Union in 1996 and she was named a Rising Star at the University of South Carolina in 2010. She is also highly regarded as a teacher and mentor, having received the National Faculty of the Year Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2005 and the University of South Carolina’s Mungo Teaching Award in 2006. Dr. Benitez-Nelson currently serves or has served as an elected Councillor of the Oceanography Society, an elected at-Large member of ASLO, as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Geoscience Directorate of NSF, the EPA Science Advisory Board, and the Carbon Cycle Scientific Steering Group. Dr. Benitez-Nelson earned a B.S. in chemistry and oceanography from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program in 1999.
Dr. Benitez-Nelson's presentation will focus on global climate change and its impact on the ocean and wildlife.