Where Are They Now: Sujata Murty

Environmental scientist Sujata Murty combines research and the arts to highlight the problem of climate change in our oceans.

A woman in a striped sweater smiling at the camera in front of a wall displaying colorful underwater photographs of coral.

Murty stands with her photo series titled “Oceans of Time” at the Falmouth Art Center. | Photo: University at Albany SUNY

As a voice major at Interlochen Arts Camp and Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Sujata Murty (IAC 05, IAA 05-08) gained valuable skills in performance, communication, and expression that she continues to use in her career in science and academia. She also fell in love with environmental science at Interlochen, leading to her passion for oceanography and climate science. She received her Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Today, her research is focused on using corals and ocean models to understand past, present, and future changes in climate and ocean systems. To better communicate her research, she often pursues art-science collaborations and outreach projects, including videos, museum exhibits, and art galleries. She has returned to Interlochen to speak to Academy students in the R.B. Annis Math/Science Department about her work.

Alumna Sujata Murty smiling while outdoors on a clear, sunny day in the mountains

The universal language of the arts has the power to bring people together, to educate and to empower. In my scientific career, I continue to find that art-science collaborations are critical to better communicate climate science and motivate people to respond to our changing world. In connecting us all, art has the power to change the world.