Staff Profile
Laura C. Motta
Preferred Name: Laura Motta
Assistant Scientist
Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry
Email: laura.motta@whoi.edu
Phone: 508 289 3137
Office: Fye Laboratory
Address:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Mail Stop 04
266 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543
Some Info I joined WHOI as an Assistant Scientist in 2023. Before that, I was a postdoc at the University at Buffalo, working on the theoretical chemistry of heavy elements. I also spent time in South Korea as a postdoc at POSTECH, working on marine plankton. I received a Dual Ph.D. at the University of Michigan— in Environmental Sciences with Joel Blum, on marine mercury stable isotope biogeochemistry, and in Theoretical Chemistry with Paul Zimmerman, on relativistic quantum chemistry to understand heavy element chemistry.
Education
- Dual Ph.D., Environmental Sciences and Chemistry, University of Michigan (Dual Degree 2019)
- B.A., Chemistry, Rutgers University (2013)
Research Statement
Our research group is interested in questions that span the theoretical chemistry–biological oceanography continuum. We aim to uncover the physical chemistry underlying the interactions of complex organisms with light in marine waters. The interplay between light and chemical reactions in living systems in our oceans adds a fascinating new dimension to our understanding of chemistry. The central theme of our research is the development and application of non-traditional isotope effects, particularly mercury and sulfur, to understand these phenomena.