Mary Turnipseed

Currently, I am getting my Ph.D. in ecology, but my dissertation work concerns a policy question: can an ancient common law, the public trust doctrine, help restructure how the United States manages its ocean ecosystems? In its most basic form, the doctrine obliges governments to manage certain natural resources in the best interest of their citizens. Though this duty can be located in the legal systems of many countries, it most fully manifests in U.S. states. In recent articles, I have argued that the public trust doctrine could provide a powerful and intuitive framework with which to re-structure US ocean governance.

   I came to graduate school with a background in marine ecology, specifically in the biodiversity of deep-sea ecosystems. I assumed that I would return to traditional ecological questions for the remainder of my dissertation; however, the many questions that the public trust doctrine research raised have compelled me to continue to study US ocean policy. I am currently working on a theoretical contribution that applies complex social-ecological systems theory and science to U.S. ocean governance.

   Simultaneous to my dissertation work I am helping lead an NCEAS working group to study how to mitigate the impacts of global seafood production and trade on ocean ecosystems.  We seek to 1) identify levers in the global seafood system that could facilitate bottom-up sustainability of individual fisheries and aquaculture operations and 2) pinpoint top-down policy and market instruments that could nudge the system towards supporting the restoration of marine ecosystems. 

   I have come to realize that my research interests fit best under the core research framework of sustainability science, and, when I finish my degree, I hope to continue working on questions that I think are central to the global transition to sustainability.