Catherine O’Riordan is the Chief Operating Officer of the American
Institute of Physics (AIP). In her role she oversees outreach programs at
AIP, including the Society of Physics Students (SPS), the Center for the
History of Physics, and other programs in education, communications,
and policy. O'Riordan worked previously at the Consortium for Ocean
Leadership in Washington, DC, where she managed international 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.