News — Woods Hole, Mass. (March 20, 2025) – The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is proud to announce that Laura Motta, Assistant Scientist in Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, has been selected as a 2025 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Kavli Fellow. Motta is one of 88 leading researchers—all under the age of 45—invited from across industry, academia, and government to participate in the 2025 U.S. Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium.
At WHOI, Motta leads the Theoretical Chemistry and Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab. Her research focuses on advancing our fundamental understanding of chemistry inspired by marine processes that challenge our current chemical knowledge.
“I am truly honored to be selected as a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences," said Motta. "The symposium was a fantastic experience. I learned so much about the amazing science being done by the other Fellows and had the opportunity to share the important work we're doing at WHOI, and participate in flash poster talks and the poster session.”
The Frontiers of Science symposium series was created as the first program of the National Academy of Sciences targeted specifically for early career scientists, designed to bridge the boundaries imposed by scientific fields by exposing exceptional young researchers to ideas and research well outside of their chosen fields, and to give these researchers access to a network of colleagues from a variety of fields and institutions that will be useful to them as they advance in their careers.
The U.S. symposium took place March 6-8 in Irvine, California, and covered a variety of topics and sessions. Beginning in 1989, the Frontiers of Science symposium series has provided a forum for future leaders in U.S. science to share ideas across disciplines and to build contacts and networks that will prove useful as they advance in their careers. More than 6,800 young scientists have attended to date, 354 of whom have been elected to the NAS and twenty of whom have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its mission is to understand the ocean and its interactions with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. WHOI’s pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering—one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in fundamental and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of ocean data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge to inform people and policies for a healthier planet. Learn more at whoi.edu.
About NAS
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation signed by Abraham Lincoln that calls on the Academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology.
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