PNNL

Katie Morrice is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist working at the intersection of coastal systems, energy infrastructure, and environmental policy. She combines technical expertise in environmental modeling and geospatial data science with hands-on experience in federal and state interagency coordination and offshore energy development. Having worked across industry, government, and research, she connects the technical, policy, and project-development dimensions of complex environmental and energy challenges.

Her work centers on coastal resilience, the built environment, and responsible renewable energy development. She is particularly interested in bioregional approaches to land and coastal management and energy planning. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Katie contributes to interdisciplinary research on multifunctional transmission corridors and their broader landscape and community benefits. She is currently on detail to the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office, where she supports the marine energy portfolio, federal interagency coordination, and engagement at the state and regional level through groups such as Sea Grant. Previously, as U.S. Environmental Lead for Simply Blue Group, an Ireland-based blue economy developer, she guided environmental and permitting strategy for offshore wind exploration in Oregon and the Gulf of Maine.

Katie holds a PhD in Environmental Science & Engineering, with a focus on Estuary and Ocean Systems from Oregon Health & Science University. For her dissertation, she worked to improve the representation of physical processes (e.g., upwelling) in coastal ocean hydrodynamic models and developed an individual-based model to investigate juvenile salmon migration and habitat use in the Columbia River estuary.

• Ocean innovation and marine energy across scales, from sensors to coastal microgrids to hydrogen and ammonia production
• Integrated bioregional planning for water, energy, and land management
• Coastal resilience and adaptive risk management
• Industrial symbiosis and maritime industrial parks 
• Planetary boundaries and earth system governance

• PhD, Environmental Science & Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University
• MS, Marine Science (Physical Oceanography concentration), Moss Landing Marine Laboratories 
• BA, Biology, Marine Science Minor, Smith College

• DOE Representative to the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization (2020 – 2022; 2025-present)
• DOE Representative to the West Coast Ocean Alliance (2020-2022, 2025-present)
• Industry representative to Oregon’s Informal Offshore Wind Energy Group supporting the Governor’s Office (2023-2024)
• Data Scientist, Civic Software Foundation (2020-2021)
• John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2020)
• Senior Fellow, Commission on Climate Change & Energy, Millennial Policy Initiative, New Leaders Council (2018)
• Board Member, Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors (2017-2019)
• Board Member, Cascadia Wild (2018-2019)
• Volunteer Data Scientist, Hack Oregon (2018-2019)
• Fellow, New Leaders Council, Portland Chapter (2017)