Lindsey Kraatz, Ph.D.

Dr. Lindsey Kraatz joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2014 and currently serves as Senior Science Advisor for NOAA Fisheries. Since joining the agency, she has played a key role in advancing scientific coordination and integration across NOAA. In her current position, Dr. Kraatz supports the NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator for Scientific Programs, overseeing strategic relationships, advising on day-to-day science priorities, and managing the flow of information for the agency’s headquarters front office.

Earlier in her NOAA career, Dr. Kraatz served as a program analyst to the NOAA Chief Scientist and Acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management, where she contributed to major agency-wide initiatives, including development of the inaugural NOAA Chief Scientist’s Annual Report and the NOAA Resilience Framework. She also worked in the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation as Senior Science Advisor for Mesophotic and Deep-Sea Habitats. In that role, she led the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program and served as a subject matter expert on the Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Restoration Team, coordinating and overseeing restoration planning for multiple projects.

Dr. Kraatz brings additional experience in conservation, coastal and ocean management, and environmental sustainability through her work at the state and legislative levels, including service as a NOAA Knauss Fellow and Legislative Assistant for members of Congress. She also served as Legislative Representative for the Coastal States Organization, collaborating with state coastal zone managers on national coastal and ocean efforts.

Dr. Kraatz earned a B.S. in Marine Science from Eckerd College and a Ph.D. in Physical and Geological Oceanography from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary. Her doctoral research focused on sediment transport in the York River of the Chesapeake Bay, at the intersection of marine geology, benthic biology, and physical oceanography.