Winnie Lau, PhD

About Winnie Lau

Winnie Lau is Senior Manager, Preventing Ocean Plastics project at The Pew Charitable Trusts. She led the global multidisciplinary research team that produced the seminal report Breaking the Plastic Wave and was the first author in the complementary article in Science. Winnie started with Pew’s international conservation unit in 2014, and focused on developing strategies, new projects, and partnerships in Asia. Prior to joining Pew, she was the climate change science and technology adviser for the United States Agency for International Development’s mission to Sri Lanka and Maldives. She also served as manager of the Marine Ecosystem Services Program at Forest Trends, as well as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) science and technology policy fellow at the U.S. State Department. For nearly 20 years, she has focused on connecting science and policy in ocean conservation. Her passion has led notably to a presentation at the TEDx Rio+20 conference and a podcast on Science Rules! With Bill Nye, among numerous articles and speaking engagements. In giving back to her community, Winnie serves on various advisory committees, is an active member, as well as former committee chair, of the Junior League of Washington, and has served on the Executive Board for the Women’s Aquatic Network. Winnie holds a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology and environmental sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate in oceanography, as well as graduate certificates in environmental management and technical Japanese, from the University of Washington. In her spare time, Winnie enjoys skiing, hiking, traveling to new places, discovering new authors in the science fiction and fantasy genre, and sharing meals with family and friends.