Julie Pullen

Julie Pullen is an American oceanographer and investor who is the former director of the National Center for Maritime Security. She was named by Bloomberg News as one of the 2024 "Climate Leaders to Watch".

Early life and education Pullen studied physics and mathematics at Macalester College. She was an undergraduate intern at Santa Fe Institute. Pullen completed her doctoral research at Oregon State University. Her research looked to model coastal circulation in the oceans around California. She moved to Stanford University as a science fellow in 2003.

Research and career At the United States Naval Research Laboratory, Pullen developed strategies to improve forecast capabilities. She pioneered the use of the ocean-atmosphere mesoscale modeling system (COAMPS), and used it to model the downslope Bora. In 2004, Pullen moved to Columbia University as a Marie Tharp Fellow.

In 2011, Pullen was made director of the United States Department of Homeland Security National Center for Maritime Security. She was appointed a professor of civil engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in 2015, She led the Maritime Security Lab, where she concentrated on coastal sustainability challenges. She developed multi-modal forecasting techniques that combined air, sea, land and river models to better predict flooding and landslides.

Pullen is the founding director of Propeller Ventures, an early stage fund that looks to support projects that protect the oceans and climate.

In 2024, Bloomberg named Pullen as one of their "Climate Leaders to Watch". She features in the film Earth Protectors, which explored how climate change was impacting communities around the world.

Selected publications