RUTH MOORMAN

I am a physical oceanographer and Earth system scientist working to understand the complex suite of interacting oceanographic, cryospheric, and atmospheric processes driving Antarctic Ice Sheet mass loss. Our understanding of these systems is currently insufficient to confidently predict sea level rise, and better constrained projections are critically needed by coastal communities worldwide. My work spans a variety of processes, scales, and methodologies, but ultimately aims to address the question, how will Antarctica influence climate and sea-level over the coming decades and centuries? 

I recently defended my PhD at Caltech, which was conducted with the guidance of Professor Andrew Thompson and with the generous financial support of the General Sir John Monash Foundation and the Resnick Sustainability Institute. In the summer of 2026 I will start a Postdoctoral position at Caltech (co-advised: Andrew Thompson at Caltech and Brice Loose at University of Rhode Island) investigating interactions between ocean circulation, ice processes, and biology in the Bellingshausen Sea. 

Originally from Australia, I now live in Pasadena, California. Outside my research work I love to make things (pottery, knitwear, lush environments for my pet fish...) and explore the outdoors (scuba diving, camping, hiking, looking at pretty rocks...).

contact (email)

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