Linda Santschi, PhD
Scientific Director
Coastal Marine Biolabs
Integrative Biosciences Institute
Ventura Harbor, CA

Linda received her PhD in June 2000 in the field of neurophysiology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. She then pursued a 5-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA. Linda's primary research interests in biomedicine have ranged from understanding how patterns of electrical activity between cells influence learning and memory, to understanding how molecular cues guide nervous system assembly during development. Over the past ten years, Linda's professional interests have expanded to include science education reform. As the founding Scientific Director of Coastal Marine Biolabs, her efforts focus on creating a unique and dynamic environment in which scientists are empowered to devote the vast majority of their time and effort on the development, implementation, and assessment of novel instructional strategies that place students at the center of cutting-edge scientific discovery. Linda has played a principal role in establishing a private, state-of-the-art laboratory capable of supporting a wide spectrum of interrelated research and educational activities. Her role on large-scale, federally sponsored education innovation awards has resulted in the formation of an extensive collaborative framework and interdisciplinary partnership network to support student-centered teaching, learning, and research in a diversity of life science domains ranging from neuroscience to biodiversity genomics to environmental water quality assessments. These efforts have also led to the creation and dissemination of high quality curriculum materials and open-access technology resources that effectively bridge science research and education. She has also consulted for major pharmaceutical firms around the world on the development of educational and scientific resources that aid physicians in communicating their clinical findings to a diversity of target audiences. Linda is a consummate outdoor adventurer who loves sailing, backpacking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. She has an intrinsic fascination with the sea and has lived aboard her sailboat since 2003.