Margaret Palmer is Professor and Director of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL), part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and holds a joint appointment at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her B.S. in Biology from Emory University and Ph.D. in coastal oceanography in 1983 from the University of South Carolina. An aquatic ecologist focusing on riverine science and restoration ecology, Dr. Palmer has more than 100 publications with research awards from NSF, EPA, NOAA, the C.S. Mott Foundation, and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. She has been a key leader in the National River Restoration Science Synthesis project and directs a large research lab. In 2004, she was the lead on a strategic plan for the Ecological Society of America outlining the future of ecological science. She serves on a number of boards including the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics, the National LTER Board, and American Rivers. Dr. Palmer is a former Program Officer for NSF’s Ecology Program.