Dr. Diane Thompson

Director of Marine Research

Diane Thompson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences and the Director of Marine Research at the Biosphere 2. With a background in Marine Ecology (B.S. and M.S. from Florida Institute of Technology) and Geosciences (PhD, University of Arizona; Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center for Atmospheric Research), Diane applies her interdisciplinary expertise to (1) quantify tropical climate change(s) using corals, lake sediments, and models;(2) assess factors promoting reef resilience to climate change;(3) test novel solutions for reef restoration in the Biosphere 2 to ensure their benefits for generations to come. Her work spans a range of scales from local (e.g., reef-scale circulation) to global (e.g., climate change) and capitalizes on a blend of field and laboratory, observational and modeling, and experimental approaches.