Meenakshi Wadhwa appointed as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences at UC San Diego and assumes role as the 12th Director of our organization.
Noted Scientist Meenakshi Wadhwa to Lead UC San Diego's Scripps Institution
Meenakshi Wadhwa, a celebrated Earth and planetary scientist, is set to join the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) as the Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. This transition is scheduled to take place on October 1, 2025[1][2].
Wadhwa brings a wealth of experience in academic and research administration to her new role. She has served as the Director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University (ASU) for the past six years. Prior to this, she worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Oceanography early in her career.
Wadhwa's impressive academic background includes a doctorate in earth and planetary sciences from Washington University in St. Louis and master's and bachelor's degrees in geology from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India. Her accolades are numerous, including membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the receipt of the J. Lawrence Smith Medal, the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Nier Prize, and multiple fellowships from the American Geophysical Union, the Meteoritical Society, the Geochemical Society, and the European Association of Geochemistry[1].
In her new position, Wadhwa will oversee UC San Diego's renowned ocean, Earth, and atmospheric sciences research and education programs. Scripps Institution operates with a large annual budget and extensive resources, including a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels and Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which welcomes 500,000 visitors each year. The institution is a global leader in research on critical topics such as climate change, hazard resilience, biodiversity conservation, oceans and human health, and planetary exploration[1].
Wadhwa's leadership is expected to foster multidisciplinary collaboration and further strengthen UC San Diego's position as a leading public research university. She has emphasised the interconnectivity between the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and space, and the need for cross-disciplinary skills and technology-driven approaches to understand and protect the Earth system[1].
In addition to her role at UC San Diego, Wadhwa has served as NASA's Principal Scientist for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Program since 2021[1]. She has also taken part in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program and received the Antarctica Service Medal.
Margaret Leinen, who has served as Vice Chancellor, Director and Dean since 2013, has announced she will be stepping down from her role and will continue in the role until Wadhwa arrives in San Diego[1]. Scripps Oceanography, a part of UC San Diego, has an annual operating budget of $304 million and a fleet of four academic research vessels[1][2]. The organisation leads research in climate change impacts and adaptation, resilience to hazards, conservation and biodiversity, oceans and human health, national security, and developing innovative technology to observe the planet[1].
[1] University of California San Diego. (2022). Meenakshi Wadhwa appointed as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
[2] Scripps Institution of Oceanography. (n.d.). About Scripps.
- Meenakshi Wadhwa's appointment as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at UC San Diego signifies a significant step in oceanographic research, as she will lead UC San Diego's renowned ocean, Earth, and atmospheric sciences research and education programs.
- In her new role, Wadhwa's aim is to foster multidisciplinary collaboration in science education-and-self-development, emphasizing the importance of cross-disciplinary skills and technology-driven approaches to understand and protect the Earth system.
