Dr. Patricia “Soupy” Dalyander, structured decision-making (SDM) facilitator and oceanographer, has more than 20 years of experience in research and decision-support.

Soupy received her bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, a master’s degree in geological oceanography from Oregon State University, and another master’s degree from University of Florida in mechanical engineering. She received her Ph.D. from University of Florida in mechanical engineering with a focus in thermal science and fluid dynamics.

Soupy’s professional experience includes working with the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, she worked on decision-support projects, sediment management, and water quality as a research scientist for the Engineering Research and Development Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Dalyander specializes in SDM application and has been certified through the USFWS National Conservation Training Center (NCTC). She also studies sediment transport and morphodynamic change, beach and barrier island evolution, and developing ways to predict coastal restoration project success. At The Water Institute, she led a team assisting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Southwestern Division in the development of a Civil Works Strategic Plan, co-led team to develop a Research & Development Strategy for USACE and created a new barrier island evolution numerical model for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Her activities at USGS included developing a new empirical dune growth (EDGR) model and contributing to model frameworks to predict the decadal scale evolution of Dauphin Island, Alabama, and Breton Island, Louisiana, as well as collaborating to develop new ways to incorporate data and models into decision-support for the restoration of Ship Island, Mississippi.