Jenna Jambeck, Ph.D.

Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering

0103 Riverbend Research Center South
220 Riverbend Road
Athens, Georgia 30602
United States

Fighting plastic waste + marine debris

Named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow for her work investigating the scale of plastic pollution and galvanizing efforts to address plastic waste, Jenna Jambeck is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering in the University of Georgia College of Engineering. Jambeck is internationally recognized for her research on plastic waste in the ocean and for the Marine Debris Tracker app she co-created with fellow faculty member Kyle Johnsen. She notes that being active in research helps bring current environmental engineering issues into the classroom for students.

Ph.D., Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 2004
M.E., Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 1998
B.S., Environmental Engineering Sciences (with honors), University of Florida, 1996

Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of Georgia College of Engineering, 2020 – present
Professor, University of Georgia College of Engineering, 2019 – present
Associate Professor, University of Georgia College of Engineering, 2015 – 2019
Assistant Professor, University of Georgia College of Engineering, 2005 – 2015
Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire, 2005 – 2009
ORAU Post Doc, US EPA, 2004 – 2005
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida, 2000 – 2004
Project Engineer, URS Corporation, 1998 -2000
Intern, Law Engineering and Environmental Services, 1996

National Geographic Fellow – Co-Lead Source to Sea Plastics Initiative, National Geographic, 2018 – present
NASEM Study Board, United States Contributions to Global Ocean Plastic Waste, 2021
Air and Waste Management Association Member, 2014 – present
United Nations Global Partnership for Marine Litter Advisory Board Member, 2015 – 2016

MacArthur Fellow, 2022
National Geographic Fellow, 2018
Georgia Water Coalition “Water Hero,” 2018
UGA Public Service and Outreach Fellow, 2016
Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment, Elle Magazine, 2019
College of Engineering Research Award, University of Georgia, College of Engineering, 2016
Creative Research Medal, University of Georgia, 2016
UGA College of Engineering Instruction Award, 2015
Outreach Scholar Academy, UNH, 2007
UNH President’s Excellence Award Grantee, University of New Hampshire, 2006