Heidi Sosik

She is a senior scientist in the Stanley W. Watson Chair for Excellence in Oceanography; Director of WHOI's Center for Ocean, Marine, and Seafloor Observing Systems; Chief Scientist of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO); and lead scientist for the Northeast United States Shelf Long Term Ecological Research program.{{Cite web|url=https://www2.whoi.edu/staff/hsosik/|title=Dr. Heidi M. Sosik|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-04}} She is the co-creator of the Imaging FlowCytobot, an automated underwater microscope that has been used to study microscopic (10-150 micron in size) ocean life over time{{Cite web|url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170312/long-term-study-planned-in-ocean-south-of-marthas-vineyard|title=Long-term study planned in ocean south of Martha's Vineyard|last=Legere|first=Christine|website=capecodtimes.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-04}} and to prevent shellfish poisoning.{{Cite news|url=http://marinesciencetoday.com/2008/08/25/flowcytobot-prevents-shellfish-poisoning/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823030210/http://marinesciencetoday.com/2008/08/25/flowcytobot-prevents-shellfish-poisoning/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 23, 2009|title=FlowCytobot Prevents Shellfish Poisoning|date=2008-08-26|work=Marine Science Today|access-date=2018-11-25|language=en-US}} Her inventions and research in phytoplankton ecology has revolutionized the ability to track changes in phytoplankton community composition over time, including at the MVCO time series site, as part of the Northeast United States Shelf Long Term Ecological Research program{{Cite web|title=Northeast U.S. Shelf LTER|url=https://nes-lter.whoi.edu/|access-date=2019-09-18|website=Northeast US Shelf|language=en-US}} and through research labs that utilize the commercially available Imaging FlowCytobot and expertise provided by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Plankton Wiki page.{{Cite web|url=https://beagle.whoi.edu/redmine/projects/ifcb-man/wiki/WHOI-Plankton|title=WHOI-Plankton - IFCB manual annotation - Ocean Imaging Informatics @ WHOI|website=beagle.whoi.edu|access-date=2019-09-18}}

Sosik's research broadly focuses on phytoplankton ecology, including observations that help explain controls on phytoplankton community composition, distribution of phytoplankton in the ocean and productivity of this portion of the marine food web. Her work focuses on observing natural systems, but utilizes engineering, mathematics, modeling and theory to resolve questions spanning single cells to regional scale patterns that can be observed from ocean color satellite sensors.

Sosik completed her undergraduate (1987) and masters (1988) degrees in civil engineering at MIT{{Cite web|url=https://www.ted.com/speakers/heidi_m_sosik|title=Heidi M. Sosik {{!}} Speaker {{!}} TED|last=Sosik|first=Heidi M.|website=ted.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-04}} and her doctorate (1993) in oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UC San Diego).

Sosik received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers,{{Cite news|url=https://www.ted.com/speakers/heidi_m_sosik|title=Heidi M. Sosik {{!}} Speaker {{!}} TED|last=Sosik|first=Heidi M.|access-date=2018-11-25|language=en}} and was part of a team that received a 35 million dollar grant{{Cite news|url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20180412/with-35m-grant-whoi-scientists-will-dive-to-edge-of-oceans-light|title=With $35M grant, WHOI scientists will dive to the edge of ocean's light|last=Fraser|first=Doug|work=capecodtimes.com|access-date=2018-11-25|language=en}} from The Audacious Project for their research into the ocean’s twilight zone.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-deep-sea-project-wins-prestigious-funding-at-vancouver-ted-conference/|title=Deep-sea project wins prestigious funding at Vancouver TED conference|access-date=2018-11-25}} She was named a 2018 Fellow of The Oceanography Society{{Cite news|url=https://www.oceannews.com/news/science-technology/heidi-sosik-selected-as-a-fellow-of-the-oceanography-society|title=Heidi Sosik Selected as a Fellow of The Oceanography Society {{!}} Science & Technology {{!}} News|last=News|first=Ocean|work=ONT|access-date=2018-11-25|language=en-GB}} and the Rachel Carson Lecturer for the 2019 American Geophysical Union Honors Program.{{Cite web|url=https://eos.org/agu-news/2019-agu-section-awardees-and-named-lecturers|title=2019 AGU Section Awardees and Named Lecturers|website=Eos|date=31 July 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}

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