Susan Avery

Woods Hole Oceanographic, United States

Dr. Susan K. Avery took office as the ninth President and Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in February 2008. With a background in atmospheric research, Dr. Avery has used her position to underscore the importance of ocean-atmosphere-terrestrial interactions in understanding Earth as a system. She came to Woods Hole from the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB), where she was a member of the faculty, and most recently served in interim positions as Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, as well as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Dr. Avery also served as director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at UCB from 1994 to 2004, where she facilitated interdisciplinary research spanning the geosciences and social and biological sciences. Her research interests include atmospheric circulation and precipitation, the development of new radar techniques and instruments for observing the atmosphere, and the role of climate science in decision support.