PNNL

Ruth Branch leads the Marine Energy Research team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She has a PhD in environmental fluid mechanics from the University of Washington and is an Earth scientist in the Coastal Sciences Division. Her work focuses on integrating wave and current energy generation technologies with ocean observations and aquaculture. She has led the development of a wave energy converter drifting buoy and works with companies to facilitate field tests of their devices at the PNNL-Sequim campus. She has experience in numerical modeling for resource assessments and conducts feasibility studies on the use of marine energy technologies. 

• Wave energy converters
• Current energy converters
• Vortex induced vibration

• Marine energy
• Coastal ocean modeling
• Project management

• PhD in civil and environmental engineering, University of Washington, 2020
• MS in civil and environmental engineering, University of Washington, 2003
• MS in physics, University of Washington, 1999
• BS in physics, University of Washington, 1998

Full publication list available on Google Scholar

2025

• Jung H., Z. Lu, W. Hwang, B. Friedman, A.E. Copping, R.A. Branch, and Z. Deng. 2025. "Modeling and Sea Trial of a Self-powered Ocean Buoy Harvesting Arctic Ocean Wave Energy using a Double-Side Cylindrical Triboelectric Nanogenerator." Nano Energy 135, no. _:Art. No. 110641. PNNL-SA-205406. doi:10.1016/j.nanoen.2024.110641
• Nawaz A., M. Steele, R.A. Branch, D. Burnett, K. Liao, M. Parker, and E. Roumeli. 2025. "Ecobuoys for Scalable Oceanography." Marine Technology Society Journal 59, no. 1:36-50. PNNL-SA-205192. doi:10.4031/MTSJ.59.1.8

2024

• Branch R.A., R.J. Cavagnaro, B.Q. Roberts, J.R. McVey, A.L. Barker, and A.M. Turpin. 2024. Characterizing Interference in a Wave-Powered Buoy. PNNL-35370. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Characterizing Interference in a Wave-Powered Buoy

2023

• Branch R.A., D.J. Rose, M.E. Grear, C.D. Briggs, and F.M. Ticona Rollano. 2023. "Powering the Blue Economy: Marine Energy at Kelp Farm Sites." Marine Technology Society Journal 57, no. 4:6-14. PNNL-SA-182866. doi:10.4031/MTSJ.57.4.2
• Branch R.A., M. Bernitsas, M.E. Grear, S. Liapis, D.J. Rose, C.D. Briggs, and K.M. Jones, et al. 2023. "Low Tidal Current Speed Electricity Generation for Power at an Aquaculture Farm." In University Marine Energy Research Community 2023 (UMERC 2023), 4-6 October, Durham, NH, USA. PNNL-SA-188287. doi:10.5281/zenodo.10265459
• Branch R.A., M.E. Grear, F.M. Ticona Rollano, J.R. McVey, and T. Wang. 2023. Powering Arctic Observations with Marine Energy. PNNL-31428. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Powering Arctic Observations with Marine Energy
• Branch R.A., Z. Yang, B. Maurer, and A. Chamas. 2023. Riverine Plastic Pollution: Field Sampling Protocol and Implementation in U.S. Rivers. PNNL-35007. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Riverine Plastic Pollution: Field Sampling Protocol and Implementation in U.S. Rivers
• Jung H., B. Friedman, H. Ouro-Koura, A.L. Salalila, J.J. Martinez, A.E. Copping, and R.A. Branch, et al. 2023. "Self-Powered Autonomous Sensing System for Arctic Ocean using a Frequency-multiplied Cylindrical Triboelectric Nanogenerator." In OCEANS 2023, June 5-8, 2023, Limerick Ireland, 1-5. Hoboken, New Jersey:IEEE. PNNL-SA-183896. doi:10.1109/OCEANSLimerick52467.2023.10244599
• Jung H., B. Friedman, W. Hwang, A.E. Copping, R.A. Branch, and Z. Deng. 2023. "Self-powered Arctic Satellite Communication System by Harvesting Wave Energy using a Triboelectric Nanogenerator." Nano Energy 114. PNNL-SA-185318. doi:10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.108633

2022

• Branch, R., F. M. Ticona Rollano, E. Cotter, J. McVey, E. cotter, J. McVey, I. Rigor, R. Cavagnaro (2022) Marine Renewable Energy for Arctic Observations, Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 970337.
• Branch, R., R. J. Cavagnaro, A. Turpin, J. McVey, M. Wickett, M. Wickett, W. Boult, S. Hindley (2022) Vortex Induced Vibration Test of the WITT Device in a Tidal Channel, OCEANS 2022.

2021

• Yang, Z., T. Wang, R. Branch, Z. Xiao, M. Deb (2021) Tidal Stream Energy Resource Characterization in the Salish Sea, Renewable Energy, 172, 188-208.
• Branch, R., G. Garcia-Medina, Z. Yang, T. Wang, F. Ticona Rollano, L. Hosekova (2021) Modeling Sea Ice Effects for Wave Energy Resource Assessments, Energies, 14, 1-15.