UNH Today

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has elected ocean mapping pioneer Larry Mayer, director of UNH’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, as a foreign member. Mayer is among 175 foreign members of the Royal Swedish Academy, best known for granting the Nobel Prize.

This lifelong appointment recognizes successful achievements in research or services to science. Mayer will serve within the Academy’s Class for Geosciences, one of ten subject categories that represent the members’ scientific expertise. Mayer’s prestigious career in ocean sciences and seafloor mapping has earned him numerous awards and honors over the years, and he says he is deeply honored to serve as a foreign member of the academy.

“This is a wonderful and justly deserved honor for Larry, who has led UNH to its worldwide prominence in ocean mapping,” said Jan Nisbet, senior vice provost for research at UNH. “His scholarship has greatly increased our understanding of the world’s oceans, and his mentorship of students from around the globe has extended this knowledge and created a worldwide network of bathymetry scholars and practitioners.”

“I am delighted for Larry but not surprised by this remarkable honor, as his research is truly world class,” says Harlan Spence, director for the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space. “Through his election as a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in early 2018, he received the very highest and extremely rarest of national honors. And now, his election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences catapults Larry into the rarest of rare international levels, a recognition he richly deserves.”

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded in 1739 to “promote the sciences and strengthen their influence on society.” As an independent, nongovernmental organization headquartered in Stockholm, its members meet throughout the year and make decisions regarding the awarding of scholarships, fellowships, and prizes including the prominent Nobel and Crafoord Prizes. Mayer’s appointment as a foreign member will begin in early 2019.

“Ocean science is rarely a solitary endeavor and success only comes through great collaborations and great collaborators,” Mayer says. “This is truly a tribute to the great work of the many people that I have the privilege to work with over the years.”