Sarah N. Giddings

Sarah N. Giddings is an Assistant Professor in the Integrated Oceanography Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She joined the faculty in January 2014 and leads the Environmental Fluids and Coastal Oceanography Laboratory, conducting research on coastal and estuarine dynamics, mixing, and transport processes.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of physical oceanography and environmental fluid dynamics, focusing on coastal circulation, estuarine exchange flows, saltwater intrusion, wave-current interactions, and the impacts of climate variability on coastal systems. She employs field observations, numerical modeling, and laboratory techniques to investigate how natural and anthropogenic factors influence coastal water quality and ecosystem health.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on coastal hydrodynamics, with studies on infragravity waves, estuarine residence time, river plume mixing, and harmful algal bloom transport. Her work spans diverse regions including Southern California, the Salish Sea, San Diego Bay, and the Caribbean.

• Stanford Society of Women Engineers Teaching Excellence Award, 2010
• NSF Ocean Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (starting January 2013)

Dr. Giddings has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring, offering graduate courses in fluid mechanics, MATLAB, and estuarine processes. She has also contributed to numerous outreach initiatives, including public science events, K–12 education programs, and museum exhibit development. Her laboratory supports a team of researchers investigating pressing coastal environmental challenges.