Lydia is a marine scientist by training and leads projects on ocean-climate solutions at CEA. Her core areas of expertise include marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and marine conservation (e.g., blue carbon, coral reef conservation, and marine megafauna). Over the last five years at CEA, she has supported foundations and philanthropic initiatives with a wide range of services including strategy development; research and development initiatives; advisory board design and management; grant scoping, diligence and management; design and execution of open Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and funder reporting.
Recent and/or long-standing clients include Oceankind, Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, Climate Works Foundation, Carbon To Sea Initiative, Astera, and Coral Vita. Through her work, Lydia frequently engages with the U.S. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Visions, and other NGO/private sector entities.
Prior to CEA, Lydia spent a decade in academic research, focused on environmental impacts of ocean acidification and potential for adaptation. Lydia holds a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from University of California Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Oregon State University. She received postdoctoral research fellowships from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the European Commission.