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Simon Geerlofs
Advisor for Coastal Sciences
Simon Geerlofs
Advisor for Coastal Sciences
Biography
In the next decade, the ocean could generate as much as $3 trillion in blue economy opportunities. By sustainably using the ocean and its connected waterways, the world could benefit from maritime transport, oceanographic research, offshore renewable energy, and maritime defense. PNNL’s Simon Geerlofs is a leading expert on this emerging economic intersection of maritime technology, coastal economies, and renewable energy.
“Working at this intersection between ocean science, technology, energy systems, and the blue economy is exciting—it feels like we’re still only defining the opportunities that will change the world over the next 50 years,” Geerlofs said.
Geerlofs’ research focuses on effective marine spatial planning; river basin energy and environmental opportunity assessment; understanding and mitigating environmental effects and conflicts with existing uses in the deployment of marine renewable energy; the application of coastal and ocean modeling to address estuarine and marine management questions; and policy analysis and in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Water Power Technologies Office program goals.
Geerlofs is also one of the technical leads on the Powering the Blue Economy Ocean Observing Prize for concepts that integrate marine energy and ocean observing technologies to seek out innovative solutions that address energy challenges in collecting ocean data.
He served on an assignment for the DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office to connect marine renewable energy technologies and stakeholders to the broader set of opportunities within the blue economy. Geerlofs has experience working with local jurisdictions engaged in coastal management issues as the marine programs manager for the Northwest Straits Commission. He previously served as a legislative assistant for ocean policy to Senator Maria Cantwell, working closely with Congress, constituents, agencies, and others to enact effective marine policy. Geerlofs was a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a Foss Fellow for Maritime and Waterfront Studies.