Skip Navigation

Dr. Angelica Rodriguez

Photo of Angelica Rodriguez

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Curriculum Vitae:

Click here

Website:

Click here

Member of:

Sea Level And Ice

Scientist

Employed By

Caltech/JPL

Biography

Angelica grew up along the US-Mexico border in the city of Chula Vista, CA. Her desire to understand how the world worked drew her to major in physics as an undergraduate at UC San Diego, where she learned about the field of Oceanography through participation in an NSF Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She subsequently participated in a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution summer fellowship, which solidified her decision to go into graduate school in physical oceanography. Upon completion of her PhD, Angelica joined the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation as a postdoctoral scholar and instructor for courses on climate change and Earth System science. Prior to joining JPL, Angelica was a part of the Naval workforce contributing to and leading a variety of R&D and STEM education projects.

Education

  • Ph.D., Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (2019)
  • M.S., Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (2014)
  • B.S., Physics with Specialization in Earth Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (2013)

Professional Experience

  • Oceanographic Scientist, Unmanned Maritime Vehicle Laboratory – Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific 2021-2022
  • Postdoctoral Scholar and Lecturer, Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation – Scripps Institution of Oceanography 2019-2021
  • Naval Research Enterprise Intern, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific – Office of Naval Research 2017

Community Service

  • Sustainability Commissioner for the City of Chula Vista 2020-2022
  • Various community presentations, discussions, and panels engaging women and minorities in STEM

Research Interests

  • Regional and nearshore ocean dynamics, modeling, and observing
  • Physical processes at the ocean-land/ocean-ice interface
  • Global and regional sea-level change measurements
  • Coastal resiliency, adaptation pathways, and data-informed decision making
  • Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in geosciences
  • Climate change and interdisciplinary education

Selected Awards

  • Oceanids Memorial Fellowship 2018
  • Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship, Coastal Ocean Modeling GRC 2015
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship 2015
  • San Diego Fellowship 2013
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Fellowship 2012
  • Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship 2011
  • Chula Vista Women’s Club Scholarship 2008

Selected Publications

  1. Bresnahan, P., Briggs, E., Davis, B., Rodriguez, A. R., Renner, N., Merrifield, M. A. (2022). A low-cost, DIY ultrasonic water level sensor. Oceanography.
  2. Rodriguez, A. R., Giddings, S. N., and Kumar, N. (2018). Impacts of nearshore wave‐current interaction on transport and mixing of small‐scale buoyant plumes. Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 8379–8389. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078328.
  3. Rodriguez, A. R., Mazloff, M. R., and Gille, S. T. (2016). An oceanic heat transport pathway to the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121, 3337–3349. doi: 10.1002/2015JC011402.