Catherine O’Riordan
Vice President, Physics Resources Center
American Institute of Physics
In her role of Vice President of the Physics Resources Center, Dr. Catherine O’Riordan oversees all outreach programs at AIP, including the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and other programs in education. In addition, she currently oversees a grant-funded program to bring Nobel Laureates to interact with undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as at SPS regional meetings. O’Riordan worked previously at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington, DC, where she managed ocean research and education programs including marine geoscience training programs for teachers and outreach programs to K-12 students. From 1999-2007 she managed public affairs and education programs at the American Geophysical Union. Before moving into association management, O’Riordan conducted research with French and European colleagues on the physics and biogeochemistry of the marine environment along the coast of France. O’Riordan holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics (Civil Engineering) from Stanford University. She has served in many volunteer roles including the role of member of the Chesapeake Bay Science and Technology Advisory Committee, the steering committee for the Marine Geosciences Leadership Symposium, on review panels for NSF and on the NSF-EHR Committee of Visitors.