Dr. Susan Bell, Professor of Integrative Biology, and Distinguished University Professor at the University of South Florida, received her Ph.D. in 1979 in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. Her principal areas of research are Marine Biology/Ecology and Restoration Ecology. She has served in a number of leadership positions, including serving as Interim and Co-Chair of the Department of Biology and Chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at USF, Chair of the Coastal Landscape Pattern Task Force at the Heinz Center (Washington, DC), and Member-at-Large for the Estuarine Research Federation. Dr. Bell has also served on numerous Technical Advisory Committees at the local and national levels, including serving as a member of the National Research Council Committee on Coastal Risk. In her teaching capacity, she has mentored 45 graduate students and served on the graduate committee of more than 100 additional students. At USF, Dr. Bell has received several awards, including: Undergraduate Teaching Award, Professional Excellence Award, Presidential Excellence Award, and Outstanding Faculty Award. Her research has been continuously funded since 1979 by NSF, NOAA, NASA, NFWF, the National Academy of Sciences, and others. Dr. Bell has co-edited one book; published over 100 scientific articles in refereed journals; and conducted international research in New Zealand, India, Brazil, Sweden, and Ghana. Recent topics of research include restoration of seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, impacts of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill on sandy beach ecosystems, and assessing changes in coastal landscapes. Dr. Bell was elected as an AAAS Fellow, Biological Sciences Section, for distinguished contributions to the understanding of estuarine, salt marsh, and near-coastal habitats, and for her vision as an academic leader.