Dr. Pamela Hallock Muller is a Distinguished University Professor of Geological Oceanography in the USF College of Marine Science. She has incorporated a unique perspective in the analysis of the fossil record through the study of carbonates as "living" systems. Studying both the geologic record and modern coral reefs, she and her students explore not only environments of the past and present, but also the effects of human activities on future tropical ecosystems. Her work has implications for cell biology, coral-reef ecology, environmental management, global environmental change, evolution, paleoceanography, sedimentology, and hydrocarbon exploration. In 2019, Pamela Hallock Muller received the Raymond C. Moore Medal 2019 for Sustained Excellence in Paleontology. In December 2021, she was awarded the 2021 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award from the American Psychological Association-an award recognizing faculty members who have inspired their students to make a difference in their communities. She was nominated by her former USF PhD advisee, Dr. Melanie McField, founder and Director of the Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative (HRI), a multi-institutional effort that has grown to include 73 partner organizations working to better understand and conserve Mesoamerican Reefs.