Dr. Jane Lubchenco is a Ukrainian-American environmental scientist and marine ecologist.
On March 19, 2009, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first woman to serve as the
administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

While performing duties as head of NOAA, Dr. Lubchenco, The Wayne and Gladys Valley
Professor of Marine Biology and Oregon State University Distinguished Professor of Zoology,
has taken a leave of absence from her work at the university. She grew up in Colorado,
received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College in 1969, received her PhD and
taught at Harvard University.

Lubchenco's research interests include biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science,
and the state of the oceans. She has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur
Fellowship, a Pew Fellowship, eight honorary degrees (including one from Princeton
University), the 8th Annual Heinz Award in the Environment (2002), and the Nierenberg
Prize for Science in the Public Interest from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (2003).
She served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the
year 1997.

Following her confirmation to head NOAA and to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, Lubchenco declared that science would guide the agency and that
she expects it to play a role in developing a green economy.