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UC San Diego names Meenakshi Wadhwa vice chancellor for marine sciences
Wadhwa will spearhead interdisciplinary research in ocean, earth, and atmospheric sciences, to address urgent global environmental challenges.
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Bhavana P - Fri, 18, Jul 2025
- 16:27 EDT
- 5
Meenakshi Wadhwa / University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego has announced the appointment of Indian-American planetary scientist Meenakshi Wadhwa as vice chancellor for marine sciences, effective Oct. 1. She will succeed Margaret Leinen, who has served as vice chancellor and director since 2013.
She will also serve as the director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the university while holding the position of the Charles F. Kennel director’s endowed chair.
Also read: UC San Diego names Rajesh K. Gupta as founding dean of SCIDS
Currently the director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University and NASA’s principal scientist for the Mars Sample Return Program, Wadhwa brings extensive experience in interdisciplinary research and scientific administration into the role. Her scientific career spans planetary geology, isotope geochemistry, and astrobiology, with a focus on the formation of the solar system.
Wadhwa, who began her career at Scripps as a postdoctoral scholar, expressed deep appreciation for returning to lead the institution. “The interdisciplinary opportunities at UC San Diego, combined with Scripps' 122-year legacy of research excellence across ocean, Earth, and atmospheric sciences, uniquely position the institution to assemble the collaborative teams needed to tackle some of humanity's most pressing challenges.”
Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla praised Wadhwa’s appointment, citing her ability to lead collaborative, multidisciplinary efforts to address global challenges such as climate change and planetary sustainability. “With her expertise and vision, she is positioned to lead and support multidisciplinary collaborations across campus that will create exciting new research programs, enhancing UC San Diego’s position as a destination public research university. I am confident Wadhwa will build on Scripps' legacy of innovation and excellence,” Khosla said.
Wadhwa holds a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and earlier degrees in geology from Panjab University, India.
Her appointment follows a national search for a visionary leader to advance UC San Diego’s globally recognized ocean, Earth, and atmospheric science programs. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with a $304 million operating budget and a fleet of four academic research vessels, plays a leading role in climate research, national security, ocean health, and environmental resilience.
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