CV
Dr Sarah Nicholson
Email: sarahanne.n@gmail.com
Employment History
Principal Researcher, CSIR - Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory
May 2024 – Present
- Lead ocean physics–CO₂ research at SOCCO
- Principal investigator, international panel member
- Management of SA-RobOTIC (South African Robotics and Ocean Technology Innovation Centre)
Senior Researcher, CSIR - Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory
August 2021 – May 2024
Researcher, CSIR - Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory
September 2016 – August 2021
Education
PhD, University of Pierre et Marie Curie and University of Cape Town
2012 – 2016
MSc Oceanography, University of Cape Town
2010 – 2012
Graduated with distinction
BSc (Hons) Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Cape Town
2009
Graduated with distinction. Awarded class medal.
BSc Oceanography & Environmental Geo Sci., University of Cape Town
Dean’s list
Selected Publications
Thomalla, S.J., Nicholson, S.A., Ryan-Keogh, T.J. et al. (2023) Widespread changes in Southern Ocean phytoplankton blooms linked to climate drivers. Nature Climate Change. doi
Nicholson, S.A., Whitt, D.B., Fer, I. et al. (2022) Storms drive outgassing of CO₂ in the subpolar Southern Ocean. Nature Communications. doi
Nicholson S. et al. (2019) Iron supply pathways between the surface and subsurface waters of the Southern Ocean. GRL. doi
Gregor, L., … Nicholson, S. et al. (2019) GliderTools: a scientific toolbox for glider data in Python. Front. Mar. Sci. doi
Nicholson, S. et al. (2016) Storm impact on sustaining productivity in the Sub-Antarctic Ocean. GRL. doi
Student Supervision
PhD Students
- Isabelle Giddy (2018–2022, UCT & Gothenburg)
- Zakiena Hoossen (2019–present, WITS)
- Tasha Smith (2019–2025, WITS)
- Tesha Toolsee (2022–2025, UCT)
- Vusani Mikosi (2025-present, UCT)
MSc Students
- Kevin Schmidt (2017) doi
- Ayanda Mpalweni (2019, UCT) link
- Tumelo Comfort Moalusi (2019, UCT) link
- Johan Edholm (2020, Gothenburg)
- Bongiwe Jojo (2024, UCT)
- Gonzalo Ruiz (2025, Gothenburg)
- Nikita Qosholo (2024–present, UCT)
Invited Speaking Engagements (Selected)
- Keynote, WCRP Open Science Conference, Kigali (2023)
- Keynote, SABBEX Industry Awards (2023)
- Women’s Day – SA Maritime Institute (2023)
- AtlantOS Ocean Hour: Gliders – Panelist (2021)
- All-Atlantic Ocean Research Forum, SO-CHIC co-presentation (2020)
- GOOS: Emerging USV Network & Observation Coordination Group
International Panels (Selected)
- CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR Southern Ocean Region Panel member (2023–present)
- SOFLUX Capability Working Group Leadership Team (2023–present)
- SCOR ATOMIX Working Group (2020–present)
- CLIVAR OMDP Co-Chair (2022–2023)
International Conferences (Selected)
- 2021: Future Directions in High-Resolution Ocean Modelling, Kiel
- 2020: Ocean Sciences, San Diego
- 2018: Ocean Sciences, Portland
- 2017: IUGG – Convener, Turbulence and Mixing
- 2015: IUGG IAPSO, Prague
Research Grants
Principal Investigator
- 2024–2027: NRF-SANAP – Southern Ocean Carbon-Heat Nexus
- 2021–2023: NRF-SANAP – CO₂ and Heat Drivers
- 2018–2021: NRF-SANAP – Role of Storms
Co-Investigator
- 2024–2029: Schmidt Sciences – WAM Project
- 2019–2022: STINT-NRF – Ocean Beneath Antarctic Sea Ice
- 2019–2021: NRF – Modelling of the Southern Ocean
Collaborator
- 2020–2024: EU H2020 SO-CHIC
- 2019–2023: VR – Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone Observations
- 2019–2021: NRF – Climate Change Modelling
Technical Skills
- Python for geospatial, statistical, and scientific computing (Xarray, Dask, etc.)
- High-performance computing for large model/satellite/in situ datasets
- Linux/Unix, CDO, NCO, NEMO modeling framework
Ocean Robotics Leadership
- Management and strategic leadership at SA-RoBOTIC
- Design and deployment of multi-month autonomous vehicle campaigns
- Expert in AUV and ASV data analysis
R&D and Proposal Leadership
- Extensive proposal writing and research strategy experience
- Strategic lead of SOCCO physics–CO₂ research direction
Collaborations
- Strong collaborations with Gothenburg University (Sweden), NASA AMES (USA), University of Bergen (Norway),LOCEAN-IPSL (France)
Featured Media
Videos
News
References
Available upon request.