Dr Shubha Sathyendranath receives A.G. Huntsman Award

30 November 2021

Dr Sathyendranath was recognised for her outstanding research achievements in the development of the use of optics and satellites in marine science as well as her dedication to developing international cooperation and capacity building in oceanography and ocean-colour remote sensing.

The A.G Huntsman Award was established in 1980 by the Canadian marine science community to recognize excellence of research and outstanding contributions to marine sciences. It is presented by the Royal Society of Canada. The award honours marine scientists of any nationality who have had and continue to have a significant influence on the course of marine scientific thought. The Award is named in honour of Archibald Gowanlock Huntsman (1883– 1973), a pioneer Canadian oceanographer and fishery biologist.

The award ceremony on the 26th November featured various speakers including honorary patron, His Honour The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, and A.G. Huntsman Foundation President Dr Alice Ortmann. Dr Robert Brewin, who worked with Dr Sathyendranath in the past and is now based at the University of Exeter offered a testimonial.

The in-person celebration had taken place at PML earlier in the week, where Chief Executive Professor Icarus Allen presented the award to Dr Sathyendranath, who thanked friends and colleagues and particularly noted the personal significance of receiving the award almost three decades after her late husband, Professor Trevor Platt FRS, was given the same honour.

Dr Sathyendranath's research at PML focuses on understanding the interaction of light with the ocean biota and the consequences for marine ecology, biogeochemistry and climate. She applies marine optics and ocean colour remote sensing to topics such as development of algorithms for interpretation of satellite data, light penetration underwater, phytoplankton functional types, ecological provinces in the ocean, marine primary production, biological-physical feedbacks in the ocean, phytoplankton phenology,  carbon cycling, the use of ocean-colour data in climate studies and the dynamics of waterborne diseases. Her work with the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean and other international initiatives, such as the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group has advanced international collaborations in remote sensing.