Scripps Oceanography’s new director aims to build collaborative studies toward ‘understanding and protecting our planet’

Growing up in the foothills of the Himalayas, Meenakshi Wadhwa always has had a fascination with nature. That soon expanded into a curiosity about what’s beyond our world and how different scientific fields can work together to advance studies  in the face of what she calls “unprecedented planetary change.”

Bringing that interest to UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Wadhwa has been appointed as the institute’s director and UCSD’s vice chancellor for marine sciences and dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Hired following a national search, she will succeed Margaret Leinen, who is stepping down from those roles after being credited with enriching Scripps’ research programs, particularly in climate change, during her 12-year tenure.

Wadhwa will start in her new positions Oct. 1. Leinen, who made history as the first woman to lead Scripps Oceanography, will continue until Wadhwa arrives.

Wadhwa is coming to La Jolla after serving the past six years as director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, overseeing research and graduate and undergraduate programs in geosciences, astrobiology, oceanography, planetary sciences, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and more.

Since 2021, she also has served as NASA’s principal scientist for the Mars Sample Return Program, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency to bring samples of Mars to Earth for the first time.

However, this won’t be Wadhwa’s first time at UC San Diego. She began her career there as a postdoctoral researcher in 1994.

“We are delighted to welcome Meenakshi Wadhwa back to UC San Diego,”  Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a statement. “Wadhwa’s outstanding leadership and interdisciplinary research experience make her uniquely qualified to tackle pressing global challenges, including climate change mitigation and planetary exploration. With her expertise and vision, she is positioned to lead and support multidisciplinary collaborations across campus that will create exciting new research programs.”

Wadhwa, originally from India, grew up near the Himalayas and “loved being outdoors and exploring the natural world around me,” she told the La Jolla Light. “I was fascinated to discover that there were limestone rocks near the top of Mount Everest that were once at the bottom of an ancient ocean. It was mind-blowing to think of the tremendous natural forces that resulted in the formation of these mountains. This sense of wonder about natural processes on Earth was what inspired me to study geology as an undergraduate.”

But, as was often the case at the time, her undergraduate geology department “had very few women students or faculty,” she said, and some of her professors tried to discourage her from the program, claiming the fieldwork would be “too difficult for me.”

Wadhwa said that only strengthened her determination.

“Fortunately, my parents were incredibly supportive,” she said. “Unlike many Indian parents of their generation, they never questioned my desire to travel halfway around the world for higher education, and I’m deeply grateful for their unwavering support and encouragement.”

Wadhwa went on to receive a doctorate in Earth and planetary sciences from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India.

From 2018 to 2022, she chaired the Science Committee of the NASA Advisory Council, which advises NASA leadership on a spectrum of Earth and space sciences including astrophysics, planetary science, Earth observation from space and remote sensing and monitoring of climate change indicators and hazards. For her service in that role, she was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal.

She also spent five years as a member of the National Academies Space Studies Board, in which leaders from academia and industry provide an independent forum on all aspects of space science.

Wadhwa also has participated in expeditions of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program, for which she received the Antarctica Service Medal.

With her experience as a planetary scientist, Wadhwa said she is eager to bring her leadership perspective to UC San Diego, where there are opportunities for collaboration across scientific fields.

“Over its 122-year history, Scripps Institution of Oceanography has become a world-leading institution for understanding and protecting our natural world,” Wadhwa said. “As the 12th director of Scripps, I aim to build on this incredible legacy while advancing interdisciplinary and technology-based approaches — from studying natural samples and analyzing big data sets to modeling complex systems and continuing the global, long-term observations that Scripps is known for — all toward fulfilling the core mission of understanding and protecting our planet.”

“Scripps has a rich legacy of scientific leadership across marine, Earth and atmospheric sciences,” she added. “In this era of unprecedented planetary change, it will be critical to understand the interdependencies of all parts of our Earth system for addressing global challenges. Scripps … is uniquely equipped with the people and the capabilities to tackle these issues while training the next generation in essential interdisciplinary expertise and technological approaches.”

Wadhwa said she and her husband, Scott Parazynski, are avid hikers and “love to scuba dive.”