John & Mary Louise Riley Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series: Dr. Alyssa Griffin: "The role of coastal marine sediments in carbon cycling from local to global scales"

About the Speaker: Dr. Alyssa Griffin is a marine biogeochemist studying carbon cycling in coastal ecosystems and working towards a more just, equitable and inclusive earth science community. Dr. Griffin earned a B.S. in Geology and Religion (double major) with a minor in Environmental Studies from Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia, the ancestral and current homelands of the Lenape Nation. She continued her geoscience education and research as a Master’s student, also at Temple University, with Dr. David Grandstaff. Dr. Griffin’s thesis studied the dissolution kinetics of bioapatite to evaluate its suitability for use in carbon mineralization processes and as nuclear waste backfill. After earning her M.S. in Geology, Dr. Griffin took a position as a Staff Geologist for an environmental consulting firm in Brea, California. After returning to academia, she earned her PhD in Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. There, Dr. Griffin studied the role of carbonate sediment dissolution in shallow marine environments (primarily in coral reefs) with Dr. Andreas Andersson. Dr. Griffin is currently a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory and works with Dr. Tessa Hill on elucidating carbon storage and cycling mechanisms in seagrass sediments. As a woman of color in the geosciences, Dr. Griffin has experienced the inequities in her field firsthand and is passionate about eradicating these disparities for future generations of geoscientists. She served as an Inaugural Scripps Community Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion Fellow and has organized, led, and worked with numerous science engagement organizations. Dr. Griffin has received multiple honors for her work towards JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) in STEM including a campus-wide UC San Diego Inclusive Excellence Award and induction into the Edward A. Bouchet Honor Society. Dr. Griffin’s work is only possible through the ongoing support of her wonderful partner Ted and their amazing daughter.

   For more information about the Bodega Marine Laboratory, please visit http://marinescience.ucdavis.edu