Christopher Reddy, Ph.D., is a senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the largest nonprofit independent research institute in the world for ocean research, exploration, and education. For the past twenty-five years, he has been at the forefront of studying oil spills, floating plastics, and chemical waste in marine environments, from the coastline to the sea floor, seeking answers to our most pressing questions about the fate and impacts of ocean pollutants. 

He has published more than 220 peer-reviewed papers and holds 11 US patents related to his work in pioneering the use of algal-derived chemicals in biofuels, batteries, and cosmetics. Of the 17 million members on ResearchGate, the online professional network for scientists, he is ranked among the top 1%.

Alongside his fieldwork and research in the lab, he teaches and advises graduate students in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography. He has given hundreds of media interviews, testified before Congress five times, written over thirty opinion pieces on science for the Boston Globe, CNN, and Wired, and briefed admirals, CEOs, frontline responders, and royalty during numerous international crisis events, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

Chris has received several awards for his work, including the American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Award (2024), which honors those who increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of chemistry; AGU Ambassador Award (2018), which honors recipients for their outstanding contributions in communicating science, and the Clair C. Patterson Award (2014), which honors recipients for their innovative breakthroughs in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance, particularly in the service to society for his work on petroleum in the ocean.