Dawn Wright
PhD, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1994
GIS and spatial analysis, coastal and marine geography, oceanography
Research Interests:
Dr. Wright is the Chief Scientist for the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), a world-leading geographic information system (GIS) software, research, and development company. She also maintains an affiliated faculty appointment as Professor of Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. She has been the recipient of many awards and honors including being named Oregon Professor of the Year, the 2019 Geosciences Innovator Award from Texas A&M University College of Geosciences, a 2018 Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and many others. Dr. Wright is the first African American woman deep sea explorer and played a key role in creating the first GIS data model for the oceans.