Chelsea Koch

Chelsea Koch is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at American University. She is a marine ecogeochemist focusing on the use of biological and chemical tracers to explore changing marine ecosystems in the Arctic. Her current research investigates how declining sea ice is changing food webs and the impacts of marine plastic pollution, both with an emphasis on subsistence resources. Accordingly, co-produced knowledge with Indigenous communities is a core guiding principle. She is currently participating as a co-production team member with the Study of Environmental Arctic Change and serving on the Board of Directors for ARCUS (Arctic Research Consortium of the United States). Chelsea has been an engaged member and supporter of the early career community as a co-founder of the Early Career Forum with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee and a board member for the US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists. She also holds experience in the international sustainability sector, serving as the Science Officer for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (UN Ocean Decade). Chelsea holds a MS from the University of South Carolina and PhD from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Marine Science.