Christopher M. Reddy

Reddy grew up on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay and has always lived within a few miles of the coast. After attending public schools in Rhode Island, Reddy earned a BS in chemistry with a minor in mathematics from Rhode Island College, graduating in 1992.{{cite web |title=Christopher Reddy, Marine Chemist |url=https://www.whoi.edu/news-insights/content/christopher-reddy-marine-chemist/ |website=whoi.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=15 January 2025}} While there, he was named the American Chemical Society's Outstanding Undergraduate Student in 1991.{{cite web |title=CURRICULUM VITAE |url=https://www2.whoi.edu/site/chrisreddylab/wp-content/uploads/sites/81/2020/12/REddy-extended-CV-dec-10-2020fin.pdf |website=whoi.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=16 January 2025}} In 1997, he was awarded a PhD in chemical oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.{{cite web |title=Christopher M. Reddy, Senior Scientist |url=https://www2.whoi.edu/site/chrisreddylab/?_gl=1%2Achxg4h%2A_gcl_au%2AMzc5MTUyNTAxLjE3MzY0MDk1ODU.%2A_ga%2AMTQ0NzkyNDk1NS4xNzM2NDA5NTg2%2A_ga_HLKFZX9JZK%2AMTczNjkyOTA2Mi4xMi4xLjE3MzY5MjkwNzYuMC4wLjA. |website=whoi.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=15 January 2025}} While a graduate student, he was named the American Chemical Society's Outstanding Graduate Student in Environmental Chemistry.

Reddy also has an executive education certificate in management and leadership from MIT's Sloan School of Business (2010) and leadership training from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (2008).{{cite web |title=Christopher M. Reddy |url=https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/author/christopher-reddy/ |website=whoi.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=16 January 2025}}

After receiving his BS in 1992, Reddy worked as a chemist for ULTRA Scientific in North Kingstown, RI, and then as an environmental chemist for CEIMIC Corporation located in Narragansett, RI, from 1993 through 1994. While earning his PhD at URI, he worked as a research graduate assistant in chemical oceanography.

Reddy began his employment with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry in 1997 after earning his PhD and has remained there since, as a post-doctoral scholar and investigator (1997–2000), assistant scientist (2000–2004), associate scientist (2004–2006), associate scientist with tenure (2006–2010), and senior scientist (2010–present). Also at WHOI, he was manager of the WHOI Small Boats Fleet from 2008–2014 and director of the Coastal Ocean Institute from 2008–2015.

During his time with WHOI, Reddy has also been a visiting scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, in 2003 and a visiting associate at the California Institute of Technology's Division of Geologic and Planetary Sciences located in Pasadena, CA, in 2005.

• 2024 - The American Chemical Society's James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.{{cite web |title=James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public Recipients |url=https://www.acs.org/funding/awards/grady-stack-award-for-interpreting-chemistry-for-the-public/past-recipients.html |website=acs.org |access-date=11 January 2025}}
• 2024 - Gold Winner Nonfiction Book Award{{cite web |last1=Segura |first1=Caitlin |title=Book Award Winner: Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider's Guide by Christopher Reddy |url=https://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/book-award-winner-science-communication-in-a-crisis-an-insiders-guide-by-christopher-reddy/ |website=nonfictionauthorsassociation.com |date=26 April 2024 |access-date=11 January 2025}} by the Nonfiction Authors Association for Reddy's book Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider's Guide.{{cite book |last1=Reddy |first1=Christopher |title=Science Communication in Crisis: An Insider's Guide |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1032377803}}
• 2023 - The Rhode Island College Charles B. Willard Professional Achievement Award to a graduate who has brought honor to the college by distinguished achievement in their field.{{cite web |last1=Rhode Island College |title=Alumni and Honor Roll Awards |url=https://our.ric.edu/ric-alumni/get-involved/alumni-and-honor-roll-awards/past-alumni-and-honor-roll-award-recipients |website=our.ric.edu |access-date=11 January 2025}}
• 2023 - The naming of a newly discovered marine microbe capable of degrading branched alkanes (acyclic saturated hydrocarbons) Candidatus Reddybacter in Reddy's honor.{{cite journal |last1=Arrington |first1=Eleanor C. |last2=Tarn |first2=Jonathan |last3=Kittner |first3=Hailie E. |last4=Kivenson |first4=Veronika |last5=Liu |first5=Rachel M. |title=Methylated cycloalkanes fuel a novel genus in the Porticoccaceae family (Ca. Reddybacter gen. nov) |journal=Environmental Microbiology |date=December 2023 |volume=25 |issue=12 |pages=2958–2971 |doi=10.1111/1462-2920.16474|doi-access=free |pmid=37599091 |bibcode=2023EnvMi..25.2958A }}
• 2022 - The ACS Environmental Au Best Paper Award 2021–2022{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Xiangdong |last2=Cousins |first2=Ian T. |last3=Hornbuckle |first3=Keri C. |title=ACS Environmental Au Best Paper Awards 2021-2022 |journal=ACS Environmental Au |date=15 March 2023 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=56–57 |doi=10.1021/acsenvironau.3c00005|pmid=37102086 |pmc=10118068 }} for a paper{{cite journal |last1=de Vos |first1=Asha |last2=Aluwihare |first2=Lihini |last3=Youngs |first3=Sarah |last4=DiBenedetto |first4=Michelle H. |last5=Ward |first5=Collin P. |last6=Michel |first6=Anna P. M. |last7=Colson |first7=Beckett C. |last8=Mazzotta |first8=Michael G. |last9=Walsh |first9=Anna N. |last10=Nelson |first10=Robert K. |last11=Reddy |first11=Christopher M. |last12=James |first12=Bryan D. |title=The M/V X-Press Pearl Nurdle Spill: Contamination of Burnt Plastic and Unburnt Nurdles along Sri Lanka's Beaches |journal=ACS Environmental Au |date=November 29, 2021 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=128–135 |doi=10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00031 |pmid=37101587 |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsenvironau.3c00005|pmc=10114858 }} on the environmental effects of the spill of more than 70 billion nurdles (plastic pellets) off the coast of Sri Lanka when the cargo ship M/V X-Press Pearl caught fire there in May 2021.
• 2018 - The American Geophysical Union's Ambassador Award because Reddy "embodies the concept of a scientific ambassador through his tireless efforts to represent, promote, and translate science to a diverse range of groups outside the ivory tower."{{cite web |title=Chris M. Reddy |url=https://www.agu.org/user-profile?cstkey=f6a844d5-d3ce-41cd-b448-ecedc76f9848 |website=agu.org |date= December 2018 |access-date=11 January 2025}}{{cite web |title=Jobbágy, Lopes, and Reddy Receive 2018 Ambassador Awards |url=https://eos.org/agu-news/jobbagy-lopes-and-reddy-receive-2018-ambassador-awards |website=eog.org |date=7 January 2019 |access-date=12 January 2025}}
• 2016 - Appointment to WHOI's Stanley W. Watson Chair for Excellence in Oceanography.{{cite web |title=Stanley W. Watson |url=https://www.whoi.edu/who-we-are/about-us/people/obituary/stanley-w-watson/ |website=whoi.edu |access-date=11 January 2025}}
• 2014 - The Geochemical Society's prestigious Clair C. Patterson Award for Reddy's work on the effects of oil spills on the ocean. Named for geochemist Clair Cameron Patterson, this annual award recognizes the contributions of a scientist who has made "an innovative breakthrough in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance within the last decade, particularly in service to society."{{cite web |title=C.C. Patterson Award |url=https://www.geochemsoc.org/honors/awards/ccpattersonaward |website=geochemsoc.org |access-date=11 January 2025}}
• 2013 - The R. A. Glenn Award for the most innovative and interesting technical paper{{cite conference |last1=Timko |first1=Michael |last2=Schmois |first2=Ezequial |last3=Patwardhan |first3=Pushkaraj |last4=Kida |first4=Yulko |last5=Class |first5=Caleb |last6=Green |first6=William |last7=Nelson |first7=Robert |last8=Reddy |first8=Christopher |title=Sulfur Group Type Response to an Oxidative Desulfurization Treatment |url=https://www.morressier.com/o/event/5fc6305103137aa52544631d/article/5fc631219e0a135cbec8ef5f | conference=245th National Meeting | location=New Orleans, LA |date=April 10–11, 2013 |access-date=12 January 2025}} presented in ACS Energy and Fuels Division symposia at the 2013 ACS National Meeting.{{cite web |title=LECO GCxGC Technology Used in Award-Winning Paper |url=https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/news/leco-gcxgc-technology-used-in-awardwinning-paper-199507 | website=technologynetworks.com |access-date=12 January 2025}}
• 2011 - The University of Rhode Island Dean's Award to honor alumni who "personify URI’s tradition of excellence in achievement, leadership, and service."{{cite web |title=2011 Sixth Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards & Gala |url=https://web.uri.edu/daa/2015/01/08/2011/ |website=web.uri.edu |access-date=12 January 2025}}
• 2011 - Marine Pollution Bulletin Best Paper{{cite journal |last1=Morét-Ferguson |first1=Skye |last2=Law |first2=Kara Lavender |last3=Proskurowski |first3=Giora |last4=Murphy |first4=Ellen K. |last5=Peacock |first5=Emily E. |last6=Reddy |first6=Christopher M. |title=The size, mass, and composition of plastic debris in the western North Atlantic Ocean |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |date=October 2010 |volume=60 |issue=10 |pages=1873–1878 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.020 |pmid=20709339 |bibcode=2010MarPB..60.1873M |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X10003267 |access-date=12 January 2025}} published in the journal in 2010.{{cite journal |last1=Richardson |first1=Bruce J. |title=Marine Pollution Bulletin 3rd annual 'best paper' award, 2011 |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |date=April 2012 |volume=64 |issue=4 |pages=669–670 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.02.020 |bibcode=2012MarPB..64..669R |doi-access=free }}
• 2007 - The John B. Philips Award{{cite web |title=Previous John B. Philips Award Winners |url=https://www.gcxgc-symposium.com/jbp-history |website=gcxgc-symposium.com |access-date=11 January 2025}} (International GCxGC Symposium) to the inventor of an application{{cite journal |last1=Arey |first1=J. Samuel |last2=Nelson |first2=Robert K. |last3=Xu |first3=Li |last4=Reddy |first4=Christopher M. |title=Using Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Retention Indices To Estimate Environmental Partitioning Properties for a Complete Set of Diesel Fuel Hydrocarbons |journal=Analytical Chemistry |year=2005 |volume=77 |issue=22 |pages=7172–7182 |doi=10.1021/ac051051n|pmid=16285663 }} of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) viewed to have the most potential impact on the technique's future.
• 2003 - Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program Award{{cite press release |title=ONR Announces Young Investigator Program Awards |url=https://www.onr.navy.mil/media-center/news-releases/onr-announces-young-investigator-program-awards |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=12 January 2025 |date= February 5, 2003}} for research in use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography to enhance assessment and management of hydrocarbons in the ocean.

• 2018 - Geochemical Fellow, American Geophysical Union (AGU).{{cite web | url=https://www.agu.org/Honors/union-fellows/Past-Recipients | title = Union Fellows Program |website=agu.org}}
• 2014 - Geochemistry Fellow, the Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry, which confer this highly prestigious, honorary title on "outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry."{{cite web | url=https://www.geochemsoc.org/honors/awards/geochemistryfellows | title=Geochemistry Fellows | website=geochemsoc.org }}
• 2009, 2010,{{cite web | url = https://our.ric.edu/news-events/news/ambassador-ocean-science-alumnus-christopher-reddy |title=Ambassador for Ocean Science - Alumnus Christopher Reddy | website=our.ric.edu|date=24 January 2019 }} 2011{{cite web |title=Distinguished Young Scientists Selected to Participate in Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposia |url=https://www.kavlifoundation.org/news/nas-2011-kavli-frontiers-science-symposia-announcement |website=kavlifoundation.org |date=18 October 2011 |access-date=12 January 2025}} - Kavli Fellow, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences premiere recognition of distinguished young scientists, i.e., those 45 years of age or under.
• 2006 - Leadership Fellow, the Aldo Leopold Foundation (now the Earth Leadership Program).{{cite web |title=Fellows List |url=https://www.earthleadership.org/fellows |website=earthleadership.org |access-date=11 January 2025}}

• Reddy, Christopher Michael, Mullins, Oliver C., Raghuraman, Bhavani, and Nelson, Robert K. High accuracy contamination estimation in hydrocarbon samples using GC×GC. U.S. Patent 7805979B2, filed October 22, 2007, and issued October 5, 2010.{{cite web |title=High accuracy contamination estimation in hydrocarbon samples using GC×GC |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US7805979B2/en |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Reddy, Christopher M. Biofuel manufacturing methods and systems incorporating radiocarbon analysis techniques. U.S. Patent 20100273210A1, filed April 7, 2010, and issued September 17, 2013.{{cite web |title=Biofuel manufacturing methods and systems incorporating radiocarbon analysis techniques |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20100273210A1/en?q=(%22Biofuel+manufacturing+methods+and+systems+incorporating+radiocarbon+analysis+techniques%22)&oq=%22Biofuel+manufacturing+methods+and+systems+incorporating+radiocarbon+analysis+techniques%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Plata, Desiree L., Gschwend, Philip M., Hart, Anastasios John, Meshot, Eric R., and Reddy, Christopher M. Alkyne-assisted nanostructure growth. U.S. Patent 9394174B2, filed August 26, 2013, and issued July 19, 2016.{{cite web |title=Alkyne-assisted nanostructure growth |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US9394174B2/en?q=(%22Alkyne-assisted+nanostructure+growth%22)&oq=%22Alkyne-assisted+nanostructure+growth%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Gupta, Ananya Sen, Reddy, Christopher, M., and Nelson, Robert. Systems and methods for topographic analysis. U.S. Patent 8838393B2, filed April 2, 2012, and issued September 16, 2014.{{cite web |title=Systems and methods for topographic analysis |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US8838393B2/en?q=(%22Systems+and+methods+for+topographic+analysis.%22)&oq=%22Systems+and+methods+for+topographic+analysis.%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Plata, Desiree L., Gschwend, Philip M., Hart, Anastasios John, Meshot, Eric R., and Reddy, Christopher M. Alkyne-assisted nanostructure growth. U.S. Patent 9394174B2, filed August 26, 2013, and issued July 19, 2016.{{cite web |title=Alkyne-assisted nanostructure growth |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US9394174B2/en?q=(%22Alkyne-assisted+nanostructure+growth..%22)&oq=%22Alkyne-assisted+nanostructure+growth..%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Lindell, Scott R., Reddy, Christopher M., and O'Neil, Gregory W. Use of marine algae for producing polymers. U.S. Patent 9879288B2, filed November 17, 2011, and issued January 30, 2018.{{cite web |title=Use of marine algae for producing polymers |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US9879288B2/en?q=(%22Use+of+marine+algae+for+producing+polymers%22)&oq=%22Use+of+marine+algae+for+producing+polymers%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Reddy, Christopher M., O'Neil, Gregory W., and Lindell, Scott R. Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products. U.S. Patent 9970034B2, filed January 17, 2015, and issued May 15, 2018.{{cite web |title=Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US9970034B2/en?oq=9970034 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Reddy, Christopher M., O'Neil, Gregory W., and Lindell, Scott R. Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products. U.S. Patent 20190161777A1, filed January 28, 2019, and issued September 14, 2021.{{cite web |title=Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20190161777A1/en?q=(Use+of+marine+algae+for+co-producing+alkenones%2c+alkenones+derivatives%2c+and+co-products.)&oq=Use+of+marine+algae+for+co-producing+alkenones%2c+alkenones+derivatives%2c+and+co-products. |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• O'Neil, Gregory W., and Reddy, Christopher M. Alkenone-based formulations for topical applications. U.S. Patent 20240122828A1, filed November 2, 2023, and pending.{{cite web |title=Alkenone-based formulations for topical applications |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20240122828A1/en?q=(%22Alkenone-based+formulations+for+topical+applications%22)&oq=%22Alkenone-based+formulations+for+topical+applications%22 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• Reddy, Christopher M., O'Neil, Gregory W., and Lindell, Scott R. Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products. U.S. Patent 11634738B2, filed July 29, 2021, and issued April 25, 2023.{{cite web |title=Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US11634738B2/en?oq=17%2f388298 |via=Google Patents |access-date=15 January 2025}}
• O'Neil, Gregory W., and Reddy, Christopher M. Alkenone-based formulations for topical applications. U.S. Patent 20240122828A1, filed November 2, 2023, and pending.

According to geologist and biogeoscientist Timothy Eglinton, Reddy is “one of the most innovative, dynamic and prominent environmental organic geochemists” and has made “key contributions to topics of major and pressing environmental concern.” His work on oil spills has had far-ranging and paradigm-shifting impacts on responding to spills, monitoring the recovery (or lack thereof) of impacted areas, assessing damage, and identifying the type and source of spilled oil. He is best known for his and his team’s work on determining “the processes that regulate the fate of petroleum following release to the environment” and for the invention of the application of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) that enables identification of these processes which Reddy patented.

As it degrades in a marine environment, oil undergoes complex transformations, producing residues composed of extremely complex organic mixtures that accumulate in protective environments{{cite journal |last1=Eglinton |first1=Timothy L. |title=Citation for presentation of the 2014 C.C. Patterson Award to Christopher M. Reddy |journal=Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta |date=January 2016 |volume=172 |pages=458–60 |doi=10.1016/j.gca.2015.11.035|bibcode=2016GeCoA.172..458E }} such as those afforded by fiddler crabs{{cite journal |last1=Culbertson |first1=Jennifer B. |last2=Valiela |first2=Ivan |last3=Peacock |first3=Emily E. |last4=Reddy |first4=Christopher M. |last5=Carter |first5=Anna |last6=VanderKruik |first6=Rachel |title=Long-term biological effects of petroleum residues on fiddler crabs in salt marshes |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |year=2007 |volume=54 |issue=7 |pages=955–62 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.02.015 |pmid=17448504|bibcode=2007MarPB..54..955C |hdl=1912/1802 |hdl-access=free }} and marsh grass.{{cite journal |last1=Culbertson |first1=Jennifer B. |last2=Valiela |first2=Ivan |last3=Pickart |first3=Matthew |last4=Peacock |first4=Emily E. |last5=Reddy |first5=Christopher M. |title=Long-term consequences of residual petroleum on salt marsh grass |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |date=9 July 2008 |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=1284–92 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01477.x|bibcode=2008JApEc..45.1284C }} These residues form the majority of the unresolved complex mixture (UCM) resulting from the breakdown of crude oils which GC had previously been unable to resolve but which Reddy’s novel GCxGC application has made accessible, enabling determination of “the underlying processes controlling petroleum fate” as it degrades in a marine environment. For this invention, Reddy was awarded the Clair C. Patterson Award in 2014 by the Geochemical Society for "an innovative breakthrough in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance within the last decade, particularly in service to society. To be viewed as innovative, the work must show a high degree of creativity and/or be a fundamental departure from usual practice while contributing significantly to understanding in environmental geochemistry."

Reddy's investigation into an oil spill that had occurred along West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts, in 1969 revealed chemical and biological effects that had persisted even after 30 years{{cite journal |last1=Reddy |first1=Christopher M. |last2=Eglinton |first2=Timothy I. |last3=Hounshell |first3=Aubrey |last4=White |first4=Helen K. |last5=Xu |first5=Li |last6=Gaines |first6=Richard B. |last7=Frysinger |first7=Glenn S. |title=The West Falmouth Oil Spill after Thirty Years: The Persistence of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Marsh Sediments |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |date=27 September 2002 |volume=36 |issue=22 |pages=4754–60 |doi=10.1021/es020656n|pmid=12487296 |bibcode=2002EnST...36.4754R }} in fiddler crabs and salt marsh grass. The results of this study, which lasted from 1999 to 2008, led to significant advances in oil spill remediation.{{cite web |last1=Hentz |first1=Daniel |title=Fifty years later, the West Falmouth oil spill yields lasting contributions to remediation efforts |url=https://www.whoi.edu/news-insights/content/fifty-years-later-the-west-falmouth-oil-spill/ |website=who.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=14 January 2025 |location=Woods Hole, MA |date=20 September 2019}} Similarly, Reddy and the WHOI chemistry team conducted an extensive study of the Bouchard Oil Spill, which occurred in Massachusetts’ Buzzards Bay in 2003, using GCxGC.{{cite journal |last1=Nelson |first1=Robert K. |last2=Kile |first2=Brian M. |last3=Plata |first3=Desiree L. |last4=Silva |first4=Sean P. |last5=Xu |first5=Li |last6=Reddy |first6=Christopher M. |last7=Gaines |first7=Richard B. |last8=Frysinger |first8=Glenn S. |last9=Reichenbach |first9=Stephen E. |title=Tracking the weathering of an oil spill with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography |journal=Environmental Forensics |date=March 2006 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=33–44 |doi=10.1080/15275920500506758|bibcode=2006EnvFo...7...33N }}{{cite journal |last1=Arey |first1=J. Samuel |last2=Nelson |first2=Robert K. |last3=Reddy |first3=Christopher M. |title=Disentangling Oil Weathering Using GC×GC. 1. Chromatogram Analysis |journal=Environmental Science & Technology | date=14 July 2007 |volume=41 |issue=16 |pages=5738–46 |doi=10.1021/es070005x|pmid=17874781 |bibcode=2007EnST...41.5738A }}{{cite journal |last1=Arey |first1=J. Samuel |last2=Nelson |first2=Robert K. |last3=Plata |first3=Desiree L. |last4=Reddy |first4=Christopher M. |title=Disentangling Oil Weathering Using GC×GC. 2. Mass Transfer Calculations |journal=Environmental Science and Technology |date =14 July 2007 | volume=41 |issue=16 |pages=5747–55 |doi=10.1021/es070006p|pmid=17874782 |bibcode=2007EnST...41.5747A }}{{cite journal |last1=Plata |first1=Desiree L. |last2=Sharpless |first2=C. |last3=Reddy |first3=Christopher M. |title=Photochemical degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oil films |journal=Environmental Science and Technology |year=2008 |volume=42 |issue=7 |pages=2432–38 |doi=10.1021/es702384f|bibcode=2008EnST...42.2432P }}

Reddy and his team were some of the first chemists involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and spent the following ~10 years investigating the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its aftermath. Reddy was thus involved in mapping the surface plumes,{{cite journal |last1=Camilli |first1=Richard |last2=Reddy |first2=Christopher M. |last3=Yoerger |first3=Dana R. |last4=Van Mooy |first4=Benjamin A. S. |last5=Jakuba |first5=Michael V. |last6=Kinsey |first6=James C. |last7=McIntyre |first7=Cameron P. |last8=Sylva |first8=Sean P. |last9=Maloney |first9=James V. |title=Tracking hydrocarbon plume transport and biodegradation of Deepwater Horizon |journal=Science |date=19 August 2010 |volume=330 |issue=6001 |pages=201–204 |doi=10.1126/science.1195223|pmid=20724584 |bibcode=2010Sci...330..201C }} characterizing the oil and gas emitted from the seafloor,{{cite journal |last1=Reddy |first1=Christopher M.|last2=Arey |first2=J. Samuel |last3=Seewald |first3=Jeffrey S.|last4=Silva |first4=Sean P. |last5=Lemkau |first5=Karin L. |last6=Nelson |first6=Robert K. |last7=Carmichael |first7=Catherine A. |last8=McIntyre |first8=Cameron P. |last9=Fenwick |first9=Judith |last10=Ventura |first10=G. Todd |last11=Van Mooy |first11=Benjamin A. S. |last12=Camilli |first12=Richard |date=11 December 2012 |title=Composition and fate of gas and oil released to the water column during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=50 |pages=20229–20234 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1101242108 |doi-access=free |pmid=21768331 |pmc=3528605 |bibcode=2012PNAS..10920229R }} estimating the flow rate of oil streaming from the damaged well,{{cite journal |last1=Camilli |first1=Richard |last2=Di Iorio |first2=Daniela |last3=Bowen |first3=A. |last4=Reddy |first4=Christopher M. |last5=Techet |first5=Alexandra |last6=Yoerger |first6=Dana |last7=Whitcomb |first7=Louis L. |last8=Seewald |first8=Jeffrey S. |last9=Silva |first9=Sean |last10=Fenwick |first10=Judith |title=Acoustic measurement of the Deepwater Horizon Macond well flow rate |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=11 December 2012 |volume=109 |issue=50 |pages=20235–20239 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1100385108 |doi-access=free |pmid=21903931 |pmc=3528591 |bibcode=2012PNAS..10920235C }} modeling the fate of oil and gases in the ocean and atmosphere,{{cite journal |last1=Ryerson |first1=Thomas B. |last2=Camilli |first2=Richard |last3=Kessler |first3=John D. |last4=Kujawinski |first4=Elizabeth B. |last5=Reddy |first5=Christopher M. |last6=Valentine |first6=David L. |last7=Atlas |first7=Elliot |last8=Blake |first8=Donald R. |last9=de Gouw |first9=Joost |last10=Meinardi |first10=Simone |last11=Parrish |first11=David D. |last12=Peischl |first12=Jeff |last13=Seewald |first13=Jeffrey S. |last14=Warneke |first14=Carsten |title=Chemical data quantify Deepwater Horizon hydrocarbon flow rate and environmental distribution |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=11 December 2012 |volume=109 |issue=50 |pages=20246–20253 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1110564109 |doi-access=free |pmid=22233807 |bibcode=2012PNAS..10920246R |hdl=1969.1/182651 |hdl-access=free }} monitoring the breakdown of the oil,{{cite journal |last1=Ward |first1=Collin P.|last2=Sharpless |first2=Charles M. |last3=Valentine |first3=David L. |last4=French-McCay |first4=Deborah P. |last5=Aeppli |first5=Christoph |last6=White |first6=Helen K. |last7=Rodgers |first7=Ryan P. |last8=Gosselin |first8=Kelsey M. |last9=Nelson |first9=Robert K. |last10=Reddy |first10=Christopher M. |title=Partial photochemical oxidation was a dominant fate of Deepwater Horizon surface oil. Environmental Science and Technology |journal=Environmental Science and Technology |date=24 January 2018 |volume=52 |issue=4 |pages=1797–1805 |doi=10.1021/acs.est.7b05948 |pmid=29363968 |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acs.est.7b05948?ref=article_openPDF |access-date=13 January 2025}} and gauging the efficacy of dispersants.{{cite journal |last1=Gros |first1=Jonas |last2=Socolofsky |first2=Scott A. |last3=Dissanayake |first3=Anusha L. |last4=Jun |first4=Inok |last5=Zhao |first5=Lin |last6=Boufadel |first6=Michel C. |last7=Reddy |first7=Christopher M. |last8=Arey |first8=J. Samuel |title=Petroleum dynamics in the sea and influence of subsea dispersant injection during Deepwater Horizon |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=19 September 2017 |volume=114 |issue=38 |pages=10065–10070 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1612518114 |doi-access=free |pmid=28847967 |pmc=5617239 |bibcode=2017PNAS..11410065G }}

Reddy and his team members were unfortunately drawn into the ensuing legal aspects of the spill when the U.S. Government used the data he and his team had collected to determine how much BP owed by way of restitution. BP challenged the amount of this restitution and requested Reddy's and his team members' emails and personal correspondence for the time period over which they had studied the spill, a request with which they were reluctantly forced to comply in 2011 following litigation. The Deepwater Horizon spill also led to one of Reddy's appearances before the U.S. Congress, testifying on 15 June 2010 regarding government agencies' preparedness to respond to crises such as Deepwater Horizon.

Reddy is currently working with UC Santa Barbara researchers to investigate natural oil seepage from the ocean floor off the coast of California.

To honor Reddy’s contributions to the study of oil spills, a newly discovered marine microbe capable of degrading branched alkanes was named Candidatus Reddybacter in his honor.

In addition to oil spills, Reddy is engaged in research related to degradation of other chemicals and plastics that have been dumped or spilled in the ocean (e.g., the 2021 nurdle spill off the coast of Sri Lanka), development of biofuels,{{cite web |title=Chris Reddy Lab: Projects |url=https://www2.whoi.edu/site/chrisreddylab/oil-spill-research/oil-in-our-coastal-back-yard/projects/?_gl=1*11gi24n*_gcl_au*Mzc5MTUyNTAxLjE3MzY0MDk1ODU.*_ga*MTQ0NzkyNDk1NS4xNzM2NDA5NTg2*_ga_HLKFZX9JZK*MTczNjk4NTY0NC4xNi4xLjE3MzY5ODU5NjEuMC4wLjA. |website=whoi.edu |publisher=WHOI |access-date=16 January 2025}} replacement of hydrocarbons from fossil fuels in personal care products with chemicals derived from marine algae,{{cite news |author= |date=13 July 2023 |title=Lipsticks, shampoo from algae: Woods Hole company intends to disrupt personal care market |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/business/2023/07/13/upwell-cosmetics-cosmetic-industry-algae-woods-hole-oceanographic-institution-lipstick/70347804007/ |location=Hyannis, MA |work=Cape Cod Times |access-date=15 January 2025}} and design of safer and more sustainable plastics.{{cite press release |author= |date=7 September 2023 |title=Christopher M. Reddy honored with ACS 2024 Grady-Stack award |url=https://www.acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2023/september/christopher-m-reddy-honored-with-acs-2024-grady-stack-award.html |publisher=American Chemical Society |access-date=15 January 2025}}

Reddy apparently views communication of scientific matters to diverse audiences and "building connections between the scientific community and societal stakeholders" to be important parts of being a scientist and has sought to develop and communicate this skill to peers and students. As a consequence, Reddy received the 2023 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public and the 2018 GSU Ambassador Award for "embod[ying] the concept of a scientific ambassador through his tireless efforts to represent, promote, and translate science to a diverse range of groups outside the ivory tower." Reddy is "renowned as a trusted source among journalists, policymakers and government agencies" and has testified before the U.S. Congress five times, once regarding government agencies' readiness to respond to such environmental disasters as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A colleague, David L. Valentine, distinguished professor of geochemistry and microbiology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, stated, “Chris excels in elucidating the ‘how,’ ‘what,’ ‘why’ and ‘what’s next?’ in engaging, clear and bias-free ways." Reddy's efforts extend to influencing the next generation of scientists, and he collaborates on a science communication graduate course taught at WHOI titled "How Not to Write for Peer-Reviewed Journals: Talking to Everyone Else."

Effective communication of scientific information to nonscientists is even more important during a crisis such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Reddy believes, and has been the subject of talks (e.g., his TEDx talk using clips from the original Star Trek television series) and his book, Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider's Guide. The latter, which is intended "to help scientists understand how best to communicate their knowledge and expertise in the event of an environmental crisis,"{{cite news |last=Geist |first=Gilda |date=15 September 2023 |title=Woods Hole Chemist Honored For Science Communication |url=https://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/woods-hole-chemist-honored-for-science-communication/article_8a3fbe54-66f1-5a34-8fb3-1962a9ec444b.html |work=The Enterprise |location=Falmouth, MA |publisher=Mark Olivieri |access-date=15 January 2025}} draws on Reddy's years of responding to environmental crises and communicating actionable information to peers, journalists, regulators, and the public. John E. Riutta, author of The Well-Read Naturalist, describes the book as "a collection of analyses and recommendations for those ... faced with presenting important scientific information to audiences both large and small during times of profound uncertainty" and terms it "very timely" given "the many destructive environmental and medical crises" that have occurred over recent decades.{{cite web |last1=Riutta |first1=John E. |title=Natural History Book Review|url=https://www.wellreadnaturalist.com/2023/06/science-communication-in-a-crisis/ |website=wellreadnaturalist.com |date=22 June 2023 |publisher=The Well-Read Naturalist |access-date=14 January 2025}}

A prolific author, Reddy currently has almost 500 publications in academic journals to his name.{{cite web |title=Christopher Reddy |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=stbDzOgAAAAJ |publisher=Google Scholar |website=Google Scholar |access-date=20 January 2025}} As shown by his current h-index of 77 and i-10 index of 215, his publications are highly cited. Reddy's current ResearchGate interest score (10,257) consists of 82% citations and is higher than those of 99% of ResearchGate members.{{cite web |title=Christopher M. Reddy |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher-Reddy |website=researchgate.net |access-date=13 January 2025}}

Reddy has authored two books: Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider's Guide and one of the A Kids Book About children's series titled A Kids Book About Being a Scientist.{{cite book |last1=Reddy |first1=Christopher M. |title=A Kids Book About Being a Scientist |date=21 May 2024 |publisher=A Kid's Book About |location=Portland, OR | isbn=979-8892810746 |url=https://akidsco.com/products/a-kids-book-about-being-a-scientist |access-date=15 January 2025}}

In addition to academic journals, Reddy has been quoted over 100 times in such popular media as newspapers (e.g., New York Times,{{cite news |last=Yuhas |first=Alan |date=14 November 2024 |title = Chemist Identifies Mystery 'Blobs' Washing Up in Newfoundland |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/world/canada/blobs-canada-newfoundland.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York, NY |access-date=15 January 2025}} The Boston Globe{{cite news |last=McGowan |first=Dan |date=9 October 2024 |title=What we can learn from environmental disasters |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/09/metro/environmental-disasters-christopher-reddy/ |work=The Boston Globe |location=Boston, MA |access-date=15 January 2025}}), magazines (e.g., Consumer Reports{{cite magazine |last=Chen |first=Joanne |date=3 July 2024 |title=CR's Guide to Dust-Busting Tools |url=https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/indoor-air-quality/best-dust-busting-tools-a6297408098/ |magazine=Consumer Reports |access-date=15 January 2025}}), and televised news reports (e.g., WWMT{{cite news| last = Erne| first = Christina

| title = Earth Day organizers call for 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040 | website = WWMT

| location = Kalamazoo, MI | publisher = Sinclair Broadcast Group | date = 22 April 2024 | url = https://wwmt.com/news/nation-world/earth-day-organizers-call-for-60-reduction-in-plastic-production-by-2040-bottles-bags-recycle-recycling-reducing-reusing-trash-landfill-scientists-studies-greenhouse-gas-emissions-health-world-globe-planet-oceans-humans-animals-consumption| access-date = 15 January 2025}}).

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/31/opinion/lessons-deepwater-horizon-coronvavirus/ Lessons from Deepwater Horizon for coronavirus], The Boston Globe

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Christopher M.}}

Category:Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Rhode Island College alumni

Category:University of Rhode Island alumni