Catherine O'Riordan: Director, USSSP

Tel: (202) 787-1645
Email: coriordan@oceanleadership.org

Dr. Catherine O'Riordan joined the staff in March 2007 as the Director of Science Development and Coordination. Catherine came to the JOI Division after eight years as a manager of various society programs at the American Geophysical Union (AGU). From 2005 through 2007, she served as AGU's Manager of Public Affairs where she was responsible for implementing all public affairs programs and working with AGU members and Capitol Hill to link science to policy.

Prior to working at AGU, Catherine lived in France for six years, where she conducted three-dimensional numerical studies of nutrient transport in the Mediterranean Sea and performed coastal studies of particulate transport from the decks of French research vessels. Her research interests are in physical/biological interactions in the marine environment. She holds a B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics (Civil Engineering) from Stanford University.

Cathy lives in Northwest Washington with her husband Arnaud Trouvé, and their children Nolan and Margot. In her free time she tends her garden and trains to compete in triathlons.

The Science Development and Coordination office manages the U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) under a cooperative agreement with NSF. USSSP supports involvement of the U.S. scientific community in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), an international program of basic research in marine geosciences that uses multiple ocean drilling platforms to explore the Earth's history and environment. The office also supports the Antarctic Geological Drilling Program (ANDRILL) by providing independent scientific panel assessments of Antarctic drilling research awards. Catherine acts as PI on these agreements and looks for new opportunities and funding for programs to support the marine geoscience community.