Carol Thornber
Dean, School for the Environment
Biography
Dr. Thornber is a Professor and Dean of the School for the Environment at UMass Boston and is a marine ecologist and environmental scientist. Dr. Thornber is a marine ecologist with a multidisciplinary funded research program that has included climate change impacts on coastal communities, multitrophic aquaculture, invasive species, coastal resilience, and harmful algal bloom ecology.
Area of Expertise
Dr. Thornber is an active and engaged scholar, and her students and postdoctoral researchers have become faculty, environmental consultants, federal and state environmental scientists, and environmental lawyers, among other professions. Her research has spanned the globe and is multidisciplinary in nature, including collaborations with environmental and ocean engineers, molecular phylogeneticists, and biomedical products researchers. Dr. Thornber has long standing interests in science communication, student and early career faculty mentoring, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues.
Degrees
PhD, Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
BS, Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Professional Publications & Contributions
Please see updated list at the ORCID website
Additional Information
Prior to arriving at UMass Boston in July 2024, Dr. Thornber was a tenured full professor at the University of Rhode Island and also served in leadership roles including Director of University Research Operations, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education for the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and lead PI of a $20 Million EPSCoR grant from the National Science Foundation.