Laura Petes

Biography

Laura Petes is the Ecosystem Science Advisor in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office, where she works to connect and translate science in support of climate adaptation decision-making and policy development. Her efforts within NOAA focus primarily on strengthening partnerships between climate change and ecosystem programs to enhance the ability of science to meet the needs of coastal decision makers and managers. Laura has been integrally involved in several major U.S. climate and ocean initiatives, including the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, the National Ocean Policy, and the National Climate Assessment. She has conducted extensive research on the impacts of global change on coastal and marine ecosystems. Laura received a BA in Biology from Cornell University, where she studied coral diseases in the Caribbean Sea. She earned a PhD in Zoology investigating the impacts of environmental stress on rocky intertidal mussels at Oregon State University. Laura subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory on the impacts of upstream drought and water use on estuarine oysters. Her introduction to the policy world was through a two-year American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowship at NOAA.