Staff Profile

Heather Benway

Preferred Name: Heather Benway

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Senior Research Specialist

Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry

Email: hbenway@whoi.edu

Phone: 508 289 2838

Lab/Group Site: http://www.us-ocb.org/

Some Info Dr. Heather Benway is a Senior Research Specialist at WHOI and serves as the Executive Officer of the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office. OCB is a network of scientists who work across disciplines to understand the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle and the response of marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles to environmental change. In this role, she serves as the spokesperson for the OCB Program and is the lead PI for the OCB Project Office, which receives funding from NSF and NASA. Heather and her small team in the OCB office work closely with scientists, federal agency managers, and other partners to cultivate new research areas and funding opportunities. With two graduate degrees and research experience in the interdisciplinary fields of oceanography, climate science, and ecology, she brings a breadth of expertise to this role, which enables her to deftly navigate and build communities across ocean science disciplines and contribute to high-level strategic planning. She has also served as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy fellow (’97) and worked as a program manager at NOAA.

Education

Ph.D. Oceanography, 2005, Oregon State University
M.S. Earth Sciences, 1997, Univ. of New Hampshire
B.S. Environmental Sciences, 1994, University of Rochester

Research Interests

Carbon and climate change science (paleoceanography, micropaleontology, sedimentology, isotope geochemistry, marine biogeochemistry, ocean acidification), environmental geochemistry (water quality indicators), science communication and outreach