KAREN WILTSHIRE (2025)
The
2025 A.G. Huntsman Award is
awarded to
Dr.
Karen
Helen
Wiltshire
in
recognition
of her
innovative and
interdisciplinary
research
in
climate
science
as well
as her
contributions
to
international
organizations
that
has
contributed to
capacity
building
and bringing new
voices
into
the
marine
sciences.
Karen Helen Wiltshire is an international marine ecologist and climate
scientist, serving as the inaugural CRH Chair of Climate Science at
Trinity College Dublin where she leads The Climate Gateway, fostering
excellence in climate research, education, and innovation by advancing
collaborative, science-based solutions to global climate challenges.
Born in Dublin, she studied Environmental Science at Trinity before
completing her PhD and Habilitation in Hydrobiology at the University of
Hamburg. Over a four-decade career, she has held distinguished research
and leadership roles across Europe, including at GKSS Geesthacht, the
University of St Andrews, the University of Groningen, the Max Planck
Institute of Limnology, Jacobs University Bremen, and the University of
Kiel. Until recently, she was Vice-Director of the Alfred Wegener
Institute (AWI) and Director of its Coastal Research. A defining
achievement was rescuing the Helgoland Roads Time Series, a unique long-
term dataset on marine physical and ecosystem change, which she
integrated into global climate databases and models revealing some of
the first warming-related changes at the base of the North Sea food web.
Professor Wiltshire has also shaped international science policy through
contributions to UNEP, SCOR- UNESCO, IPCC, and IIASA, and as the first
female Chair of POGO. She directed the NIPPON-POGO Centre of Excellence
and co-founded SeaNetwork, an ocean science diplomacy initiative to
coordinate training programmes across institutions and countries. She
and her team are strong advocates for global capacity building, marine
sustainability, and climate resilience.
View photographs
of the ceremony
Dr. Karen Wiltshire receives the A.G. Huntsman Medal from His Honour The
Honourable Mike Savage, ONS and Dr. Alice Ortmann.
