Deborah K. Steinberg

Professor, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Biographical information: Professor and biological oceanographer that has conducted research for >30 yrs. across the world's oceans. Her national and international scientific leadership experience includes serving in elected positions, such as Chair of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), which advises the federal government on the coordination of the U.S. fleet of oceanographic research vessels. In UNOLS she established a new standing committee, Maintaining an Environment of Respect Aboard Ships, which provides resources and recommends practices to identify and overcome barriers to a positive workplace experience. She was also elected Secretary of the Biological Oceanography/ Ocean Sciences section of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and served on the governing council of The Oceanography Society, and on the Scientific Steering Committee for the Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry Program.

She has also served as an invited member of influential committees or panels aimed at deciding future directions in ocean sciences sponsored by federal funding agencies, as mentor for an NSF Ideas Lab for Engineering Technologies to Advance Underwater Sciences, and on the NSF science advisory subcommittee for the new Antarctic Research Vessel build. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences for nearly two decades, she helped the organization fulfill its mission, maintain its global reputation, and transition to a partnership with Arizona State University. She’s also chaired scientific program committees for multiple major international meetings and served on international advisory boards, most recently for a Horizon Europe project. She is a highly respected senior oceanographer and academic, and has won several honors including the Sverdrup Lecture Award from the American Geophysical Union for outstanding contributions to and promotion of cooperation in oceanographic research, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award.