MERRIFIELD, SOPHIA

Research Interests

• Marine robotics
• Air-sea interactions
• Upper ocean processes
• Surface waves
• Turbulence

Degrees

• PhD, MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Physical Oceanography, 2016
• B.S. Physics, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, 2010

BIO

Dr. Sophia Merrifield is a sea-going physical oceanographer specializing in marine robotics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Yale University in 2010 and completed her Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography through the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in 2016. At Scripps, Dr. Merrifield's research focuses on air-sea interactions, turbulence, and the development of unmanned systems for environmental characterization. She uses autonomous vehicles to study ocean dynamics and designs adaptive path-planning algorithms for unmanned systems. In 2021, she received the Office of Naval Research's Young Investigator Award to advance observational techniques using robotic vehicle teams for sensing the upper ocean and air-sea interface, and in 2025, she received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. Dr. Merrifield also developed and taught the course "Hacking for the Oceans" at UC San Diego, where students collaborate with external sponsors to design rapid prototypes and innovative solutions to ocean-related challenges.