Dr. Catherine Davis is a distinguished researcher at the forefront of paleoceanography and climate science. She currently serves as a faculty member in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University, where she joined the faculty in 2021. Dr. Davis earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis in 2016, building on previous graduate work at the University of Bristol and undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interdisciplinary background bridges modern and paleo-oceanographic research, establishing her as a versatile scientist capable of addressing complex questions about Earth's climate system.
Dr. Davis's innovative research focuses on understanding how oxygen and carbon content changes in open ocean environments in response to rapid climate change. She combines laboratory analyses, field observations, and sedimentary records to reconstruct past ocean conditions and their relationship to global climate patterns. Her work examines how marine microfossils, particularly foraminifera, record their chemical microenvironments and how these biological indicators can be used as precise paleoceanographic proxies. This research provides critical insights into long-term climate-ocean interactions, extending our understanding of oceanographic processes far beyond the limited scope of instrumental records.
Recognized for her exceptional promise and contributions to ocean science, Dr. Davis was named a Sloan Research Fellow, one of the most prestigious awards for early-career scientists. Her work is advancing our ability to interpret past climate changes through innovative use of microfossil chemistry and sedimentary records. Dr. Davis continues to develop new methodologies that bridge modern observations with paleoclimate reconstructions, creating more comprehensive models of ocean response to climate forcing. As she expands her research program at NC State, her findings are providing essential context for understanding current and future climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.
