Dr. Marjolaine Krug is a skilled and rigorous scientist, a fearless innovator, an enthusiastic and generous mentor and collaborator, an international leader and an outstanding advocate for African ocean science and scientists. Much of Marjo’s extraordinary impact as a researcher is due to her willingness to pioneer new applications and take risks. She was the first to fly underwater gliders in one of the world’s fastest currents, the Agulhas Current; the first to use synthetic aperture radar imagery to map ocean surface currents around Africa; and the first to publish an algorithm that allows the Agulhas Current to be tracked operationally. Marjo directs her research to intellectually challenging problems with significant conservation and societal impact, such as the influence of the Agulhas Current on the continental shelf environment. Her work provides a robust scientific basis for the development of policy to protect and sustain Africa’s coastal oceans and resources. Marjo is one of the rare oceanographers who seamlessly moves between realms, from remote sensing to field campaigns and from research to applications. Not content to practice in an ivory tower, Marjo recently became the director of Africa’s first operational oceanography system, the Oceans and Coastal Marine Information System (OCIMS). OCIMS is emerging as a practical demonstration of the use of ocean data and technology in service to environmental governance and a sustainable economy for South Africa. This vital national role comes with ample challenges and setbacks, yet when faced with these, Marjo presses on until her efforts lead to success. Marjo’s energy, excellence and straightforward communication style make her an outstanding leader, collaborator and mentor. Marjo currently leads a U.N.-sponsored team of international oceanographers who are addressing the profound need for new partnerships and observing strategies to better monitor our rapidly changing coastal seas. She serves on several other international research panels. Marjo freely shares her scientific expertise and insight and has supervised 15 young scientists from South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar and beyond, 11 to a graduate degree. Marjolaine Krug is unequivocally dedicated to the advancement of African ocean science and scientists. Her rigorous research and her dedication to open, collaborative science ensure that her own and her African colleagues’ work will continue to have global impact. Her embrace of challenging and important problems of regional significance and her new role leading the development of South Africa’s marine information system ensure that her work benefits Africa and Africans. 

— Deirdre Byrne Center for Satellite Applications and Research, NOAA Kensington, Maryland 

Response

I would first like to convey my deep gratitude to my nominator, Dr. Deirdre Byrne, for her kind words and encouragement. Many thanks also to everyone who supported me for this award.

I was born in France and came to South Africa in the late 1990s. This country captured my heart and has now been my home and the home of my children for over 2 decades. I am deeply honored to receive this award and even more happy to be the first female recipient. Many on this continent have not had the same privileges as I have, and I would therefore like to dedicate this award to all the African women who were robbed of their potential due to past injustice. At the same time, I am extremely encouraged by the increasing pool of talented African scientists that is emerging, such as my colleagues Dr. Lauren Williams, Dr. Issufo Halo and many others. I have no doubt that many of them will be nominated for the award in the forthcoming years, and I am happy that I will be able to play a role in that.

I came to research at quite a late stage in my life and never initially envisaged a career in academia. Being a researcher is such a rewarding career, with constant opportunities to learn and to meet inspiring human beings. I have had the pleasure to work alongside some really great people in the last 10 years such as Professor Seb Swart, Professor Pierrick Penven, Dr. Fabrice Collard and many others. I am grateful to Professor Mathieu Rouault for demystifying the idea of what academic research is and for the support of the Nansen Tutu Center for Marine Environmental Research over the years. I also want to thank Professor Juliet Hermes for, among other things, suggesting that I apply to be part of the Ocean Observations Physics and Climate Panel (OOPC). Working alongside accomplished international researchers at the OOPC who are driven to make a difference has really broadened my perspective. Many wonderful female scientists have inspired me and tried to give me a hand up along the way, such as Professor Lisa Beal and Professor Bernadette Sloyan.

Today, I have the opportunity to serve the country that has welcomed me, South Africa. I look forward to giving back to this promising continent over the years to come.

— Marjolaine Krug
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Pretoria, South Africa