Ronnie Noonan-Birch is a marine socioecologist whose work focuses on the intersection of people and the ocean, specifically on how human well-being is intrinsically linked to ocean health.

Ronnie has a BSc in Marine Biology and a Master's in Environmental Studies. Her graduate thesis on Canada’s blue economy operationalized the SDGs to create a framework that can assess the social equity, environmental sustainability, and economic viability of ocean industry operators.

Her pursuit to understand the complex relationships between human activities and ocean ecosystems has brought her to far-flung places like Antarctica where she participated in a Canadian delegation to explore pressing issues of conservation, climate change, and bipolar linkages. Ronnie is also passionate about elevating the voices of her fellow early career ocean professionals (ECOPs) and co-founded ECOP Canada, a national node of the UN Decade-endorsed ECOP Network Programme.

Ronnie’s professional experiences have amounted to a keen understanding of the international ocean science-policy landscape and the dynamics of the Canadian ocean community. She takes this knowledge into her role at OFI to support the creation of the North Atlantic Carbon Observatory.