Jennifer E.D. O’Donnell

Jennifer E.D. O’Donnell is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She specializes in coastal oceanography with over 20 years of experience addressing practical problems in sediment transport, beach erosion, and physical oceanography. Her work involves field and laboratory analysis, acoustic signal processing, and environmental impact assessments.

Education includes a B.S. in Engineering and Civil Engineering from Duke University, M.C.E. and M.Sc. in Coastal & Ocean Engineering from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge. She bridges academia, government, and industry through projects like computational modeling for ocean searches, satellite-derived currents, and UAV/AUV operational applications.

Key research interests include improving operational forecasting techniques, evaluating drifting buoy designs, and advancing coastal resilience strategies. She contributes to initiatives like the CIRCA-funded projects on Connecticut’s coastal resilience and dredge material management. Her peer-reviewed publications span journals such as Journal of Underwater Acoustics, Unmanned Systems, and Journal of Geophysical Research.