Ex Officio
Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences
Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Dean of the School of Marine Sciences, UC San Diego
AGU Past President
Dr. Margaret Leinen is Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences, at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining UC San Diego, she served as the Associate Provost of Marine and Environmental Initiatives and Executive Director of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, a unit of Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Leinen is the founder and President of the Climate Response Fund, a non-profit organization that works to foster discussion of climate engineering research and to decrease the risk that these techniques might be called on or deployed before they are adequately understood and regulated. Previously, she spent two years as the Chief Science Officer of Climos, Inc. Prior to working in the non-profit and private sectors, Dr. Leinen served at the National Science Foundation. She joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2000 as Assistant Director for Geosciences and Coordinator of Environmental Research and Education. She provided executive leadership for one of the seven units of the NSF, oversaw a budget of $700 million, led government-wide planning for climate research and co-led government planning for ocean research. Dr. Leinen’s duties included leadership of the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research (IGFA). Much of her work at the NSF involved identifying major new research infrastructure needs, advancing those needs and successfully defending $1 billion in initiatives to the National Science Board for subsequent funding by Congress. Dr. Leinen has also been in academic leadership positions at the University of Rhode Island, serving as Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Programs and as Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography. She received her doctorate in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, her master’s degree in geological oceanography from Oregon State University and her bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Illinois. Dr. Leinen has also been in academic leadership positions at the University of Rhode Island, serving as Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Programs and as Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography. She received her doctorate in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, her master’s degree in geological oceanography from Oregon State University and her bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Illinois.