Samantha Athey

Samantha Athey, PhD, currently serves as the Marine Plastics Program Manager at EarthEcho International, beginning in January 2024. Previously, Samantha held the position of Lecturer at the UNCW Department of Environmental Sciences from January to December 2023 and worked as the Education & Outreach Coordinator for The Plastic Ocean Project from July 2022 to October 2023. Samantha’s earlier experience includes roles as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Toronto and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where responsibilities involved teaching various courses in Earth Sciences and Marine Biology. Additionally, volunteer work at the North Carolina Aquarium and marine science instruction at UNCW MarineQuest further highlight Samantha’s dedication to environmental education. Samantha earned a PhD in Geology/Earth Science from the University of Toronto, a Master’s degree in Marine Sciences, and a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology, all complemented by international study opportunities and dual enrollment at Penn State University.