Carolyn Ruppel is MITEI’s deputy director of science and technology. Her role involves engagement across the research, education, and outreach portfolios of MITEI, the hub of energy research at MIT.
Carolyn spent nearly 19 years at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), where she was a senior rank research geophysicist and led the Gas Hydrates Project. Starting in 2022, she also served as Acting Senior Science Advisor to the USGS Chief Scientist. Prior to joining the USGS, Carolyn was a geophysics professor at Georgia Tech from 12 years and served nearly three years as a National Science Foundation program manager. Carolyn has led many research cruises, including in the Arctic Ocean, and served on numerous advisory and editorial panels. Her published research focuses on seafloor methane emissions, gas hydrate resources, subsea permafrost, and hydrate-climate change interactions.
Carolyn received all her degrees from MIT (PhD 1992; SB and SM 1986), participated in MITEI’s Future of Natural Gas study in 2011, and held a courtesy appointment at MIT’s Earth Resources Laboratory for several years. She is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and a recipient of the Department of Interior’s Distinguished Service Award.
