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Roberta Marinelli is Professor and Dean Emerita of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. From 2021-2023, she was the Director of the Office Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation, where she oversaw the portfolio of research, infrastructure and operations for Arctic and Antarctic Research, and forged international partnerships that advanced discovery, collaboration, and innovation in polar regions. Upon returning to OSU in 2023, she was appointed as a Senior Advisor to the Provost for Collaboration, Integration, and Economic Development (2023-25).  

Prior to her arrival at OSU, Marinelli was the Executive Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California.  At USC, she played a leadership role in planning and implementing an expansion of academic and research programs in environmental studies at USC's University Park Campus, and directed the Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island. Marinelli also oversaw the George and Mary Lou Boone Center for Science and Environmental Leadership, a nexus where scientists and policy makers can meet to resolve environmental challenges.

From 2006-2011, Marinelli was the Director of the Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems Program in the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Sciences section, where she worked across the Foundation to advance  collaborative, interdisciplinary programs, including the International Polar Year, Climate Research Investments, and SEES (Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability). She was an assistant and associate professor at the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science, and an assistant professor at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

Specialty

Sedimentary ecology and biogeochemistry

Research Interests

The interactions among organisms on the seafloor and the geochemical environment: Impacts on organism behavior, community ecology, and material fluxes.