Dr. Fatima Abrantes was selected to receive the Ambassador Award for establishing, sustaining and promoting paleoceanography and ocean sciences in Portugal, ensuring Portugal is a major player in these fields. From the early stages of her career Dr. Fatima Abrantes started to build up a research group in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology at the Portuguese Geological Survey, a research field that beforehand did not exist in Portugal. Through her tireless efforts in promoting paleoceanography and ocean sciences and in securing major research funding for building up analytical facilities and funding large collaborative research projects, she and her group have put Portugal on the global research map in these fields. Fatima was a founding member of the Portuguese Association for Paleoceanography (1996-2013), which in 2013 widened its scope and became the Portuguese Association for Ocean Sciences. Fatima has promoted paleoceanography and the ocean sciences in Portugal by serving as a member of scientific and executive committees in international programs such as International Marine Past Global Changes Study (IMAGES), Past Global Changes, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and the Mediterranean Climate Variability and Predictability project; by being a member of the European Science Foundation’s Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences core and standing committees; and by taking on editorial roles for international journals such as Progress in Oceanography and Journal of Climatology. Attesting to her continuous advancement of the field in Portugal and beyond, she has trained more than 30 young researchers, from the undergraduate to postdoctoral level. Her group’s research has made seminal contributions in the fields of marine biology, paleoceanography, climatology and sedimentology. Dr. Abrantes has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 11 book chapters with over 300 co-authors. While these metrics are impressive, to really evaluate her impact, one needs to consider the productivity, input and impact of her group of ~20 scientists, the success of which should be attributed to her dedication and continuous academic and financial support. Fatima does not take credit for many of these contributions, but they would not have been possible without her support and leadership. These achievements attest to an impact that goes way beyond her outstanding personal scientific achievements. Fatima has received several awards for her selfless and hard work, including being selected as a Fulbright fellow (2003-2004), becoming an honorary member of Phi Kapa Phi Society (1989), being selected as a UNESCO fellow (1989-1990), and receiving a Scientific Studies Fellowship of INVOTAN from NATO (1985- 1988). 

— Adina Paytan University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California 

— Antje H. L. Voelker Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera Lisbon, Portugal