Assoc Prof Sarah Fawcett

Sarah Fawcett is a South African oceanographer and climatologist. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town. She is particularly interested in the role of oceans in regulating biogeochemical cycles and how their dysregulation contributes to climate change. She was honoured in the World Economic Forum Young Scientists Class of 2020, and a P-Rating from the National Research Foundation, which recognizes the high impact of her work in the science field. She studied Earth and Planetary Science at Harvard University (2006) and completed a PhD at Princeton (2012) where she later held a postdoctoral fellowship (2012-2015). In 2015, Fawcett was appointed a lecturer in oceanography at the University of Cape Town. She has worked to build up a diverse research group. From 2016, she participated in the SEAmester Cruise that aims to train up postgraduate and postdoctoral oceanography researchers. In her doctorate, Fawcett investigated the relationship between nitrogen and populations of phytoplankton in upwelling ecosystems of the Sargasso Sea. She has continued to work on these relationships, concentrating on the subpolar North Atlantic and Southern Ocean as areas of particular importance. The sequestration of carbon through the biological pump in these regions may be an important regulatory of the global ocean system, but the dynamics of the nitrogen-phytoplankton system limit its efficiency. Much of Fawcett's works is based on measurements of stable nitrogen isotopes. Fawcett is also addressing the lack of research in the Benguela Upwelling System, which is important for the biodiversity and economy of the region. She is also primary investigator for the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE). She was also distinguished as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans by the Mail and Guardian and received a NRF P-rating meaning her early career had suggested she would go on to become "a future international leader in [her] field". In 2018, the University of Cape Town awarded her its College of Fellows Young Researcher Award. In 2020, the World Economic Forum added Fawcett to its group of 25 young researchers at the "forefront of scientific discovery" for that year on account of her research on "ocean chemistry and biology in climate" and the "impacts of human activities on marine environments." In 2023, Fawcett became lead researcher for one of the prestigious Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI) projects, facilitated by Schmidt Sciences. The Project: "Oxygen and Biogeochemical Dynamics along the West African Margin (WAM): Processes and Consequences" highlights South Africa's commitment to advancing scientific understanding of ocean carbon cycling and ecosystem resilience in the Atlantic Ocean. It aims to enhance the scope of research in ocean biogeochemistry while expanding global capacity to comprehend and manage ocean resources. With UCT-MARiS leading one of the five selected projects, South Africa will play a central role in shaping future strategies for sustainable ocean management. Research Interests: Biogeochemical oceanography, nitrogen isotopes and the nitrogen and carbon cycles, drivers of primary productivity, nutrient drawdown, and the biological pump in the subtropical and polar oceans, the role of the oceans in past, present, and future climate.