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 