UM professor awarded AGU named lectureship

MIAMI—University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Professor Dennis Hansell was awarded a named lectureship by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an honor that recognizes distinguished scientists with proven leadership in their fields of science.

Hansell, a professor of ocean sciences, will present the William S. and Carelyn Y. Reeburgh Lecture during AGU’s Virtual Fall Meeting in Dec. 2020. His research interests are the biogeochemistry of the major elements—such as carbon and nitrogen—and the role of dissolved organic matter in the ocean’s carbon cycle. During his career, Hansell has spent more than two years at sea aboard research vessels, where his research has taken him to all of the major ocean basins and to all of the continents. In the course of his research, he has flown to and landed on the ice shelves of Antarctica in C130 aircraft operated by the U.S. military, broken ice for great distances on vessels plying polar seas, and met with inhabitants of remote Yupik villages of the Alaska coast. Soviet gunboats escorted his research vessel to Siberia near the end of the Cold War. 

“I am deeply honored by the award, Bill Reeburgh was an early career mentor to me and remains a friend; this recognition is special because I appreciate and respect him so greatly.” said Hansell.

Hansell’s research was recognized by the American Geophysical Union with election as a Fellow in 2019 and with the 2014 Sverdrup Lecture. American Association for the Advancement of Science elected his as a Fellow in 2018, and he has served on numerous national and international science committees. Among these, he served as chair of the United States Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group and vice-chair of the international project Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER). He presently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and as Chair-elect of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Council.

One of his most widely cited studies, “Dissolved organic matter in the ocean: A controversy stimulates new insights,” discusses the role dissolved organic matter plays in storing carbon in the ocean, which affects the global climate system.

AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science society, awarded 29 named lectureships this year, offering a unique opportunity to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of the awardees.