Parker MacCready is an American oceanographer. He is a professor at the School of Oceanography at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Early life and education

MacCready was born and raised in Southern California to father

Paul MacCready Paul Beattie MacCready Jr. (September 25, 1925 – August 28, 2007) was an American aeronautical engineer. He was the founder of AeroVironment and the designer of the human-powered aircraft that won the first Kremer prize. He devoted his life t ...

, an atmospheric scientist. Growing up in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

, MacCready helped his father design the Bionic Bat and used it to break the world speed record for human-powered flight in 1984. MacCready completed his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in architecture at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and his

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in engineering science at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

. He finished his formal education with his PhD in physical oceanography from the

(UW). During his PhD, MacCready developed a new theory of the circulation of the deepest layers of the ocean.

Career

Following his PhD, MacCready joined the faculty at the University of Washington as a professor of their school of oceanography. In 2014, upon returning from his stint as a visiting researcher at Microsoft Research, MacCready partnered with the organization to improve the visualization and analysis of

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's ocean. Between 1950 and 2020, the average pH of the ocean surface fell from approximately 8.15 to 8.05. Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of ...

modeling. Following this, he received a five-year grant from the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

to co-develop an early warning system for toxic harmful algal blooms in the Pacific Northwest. During his tenure at UW, Parker and his colleagues created LiveOcean, a computer model that has the ability to predict when Washington's waters become corrosive. In 2021, MacCready was elected a Fellow of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, Atmospheric science, atmospheric, Oceanography, ocean, Hydrology, hydrologic, Astronomy, space, and Planetary science, planetary scientists and enthusiasts that ...

for his work to "advance fundamental understanding of ocean coasts and estuaries, or marine environments where freshwater and saltwater mix."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacCready, Parker Living people American oceanographers University of Washington faculty University of Washington alumni Yale University alumni California Institute of Technology alumni Fellows of the American Geophysical Union 1959 births