Biography
Sonya Dyhrman is a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Dyhrman graduated with high honors in biology from Dartmouth College and received her Ph.D. in marine biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She did her postdoctoral training at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she was a tenured member of the scientific staff until she moved to Columbia. Dyhrman runs a research group focused on microbial oceanography, using observations from research cruises, and culture experiments in the lab, to track marine microbes and their activities in a changing ocean. With expertise in the application of genome-enabled approaches, her research leverages molecular tools to study the physiological ecology of cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae and their role in shaping marine ecosystem structure, function and biogeochemistry. She has participated in over 35 research expeditions, including two expeditions to Antarctica for which she was awarded the Antarctic Service Medal. In addition to her research efforts, Dyhrman has developed ocean science literacy activities for classrooms and the virtual world Whyville, giving more than one million children exposure to ocean literacy standards and the process of scientific discovery. She is driven to advocate for the science we need for a sustainable future, and was an invited speak at panels at UNFCCC COP27 and COP30. Building on this goal she teaches classes in microbiology, science communication, environmental biology, and climate. Dyhrman is a two-time Kavli Fellow in the National Academy Frontiers of Science Program, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.