Delta Lead Scientist
The Delta lead scientist oversees the Delta Science Program and consults regularly with partner agencies, as well as the Delta Stewardship Council and its executive officer, chief deputy executive officer, and the deputy executive officer for science. The lead scientist is secured through a multi-year appointment with the United States Geological Survey.
Current Lead Scientist
Dr. Lisamarie Windham-Myers is a systems ecologist with the United States Geological Survey. She received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources and was a professor at Lehigh University before joining the United States Geological Survey. Her research examines processes at the interface of land and aquatic systems, including water flow, storage and quality at landscape scales. She also examines fine-scale processes in sediment and has studied extensively the conditions in wetlands and estuaries that sequester and release greenhouse gases, and control methylmercury dynamics. She has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers, has represented the US on an international panel on blue carbon, and has led or served on many US workgroups developing and synthesizing evidence on effective carbon sequestration actions.
The term of office for Dr. Windham-Myers will begin on December 1, 2023, and conclude on November 30, 2026.
Previous Lead Scientists
- Dr. Laurel Larsen - 2020-2023
- Dr. John Callaway - 2017-2020
- Dr. Cliff Dahm - 2008-2012 and 2015-2017
- Dr. Peter Goodwin - 2012-2015
- Dr. Michael Healey - 2007-2008
- Dr. Johnnie Moore - 2004-2006
- Dr. Sam Luoma - 2000-2003