Robert Carl Thunell (February 16, 1951 – July 30, 2018) was an American oceanographer. Born in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York City, on February 16, 1951, to parents Carl and Betty Hornbacher Thunell, Robert Thunell attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, where he played lacrosse and earned a bachelor's degree in geology/biology. Thunell pursued graduate study in oceanography at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

. Upon earning his doctorate, Thunell became a postdoctoral fellow at

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

, after which he joined the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

faculty in 1979. Thunell was named a fellow of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

in 1987. That same year, he also became a full professor. Five years later, Thunell was appointed a Carolina Distinguished Professor. He was granted fellowship by 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 ...

and

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, in 2006 and 2010, respectively.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thunell, Robert 1951 births 2018 deaths Scientists from Queens, New York Scientists from New York City American oceanographers Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science University of Rhode Island alumni University of South Carolina faculty Brown Bears men's lacrosse players Biogeochemists Fellows of the Geological Society of America Brown University faculty