Presenter

Nancy N. Rabalais, a professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University, is the Shell Endowed Chair of Oceanography/Wetland Sciences. Within her 40+ years of research on the Gulf of Mexico, much of Dr. Rabalais’ research is directed towards activities that link changes in land use in the Mississippi River watershed and the Gulf of Mexico’s water quality. Dr. Rabalais’ research also encompasses ocean acidification linked with oxygen deficiency, a worsening ocean problem. She was the Project Director/Principal Investigator and a research participant for the Coastal Waters Consortium of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative focused on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Louisiana marshes and nearshore waters. Her research awards include—Member National Academy of Sciences, John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship, Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow American Geophysical Union, Sustaining Fellow Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Clarke Prize, Heinz Award. Prior to LSU, she was faculty at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium since 1983, and its executive director from 2005-2015. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983.