Cynthia Garcia-Eidell is a 2022 Sea Grant Knauss Fellow working to support the GOMO Arctic Research Program. Cynthia is a Ph.D. candidate on Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Her research focuses on understanding carbon cycle changes along the coastal margins of our planet using satellite-derived measurements. Before starting her Ph.D., Cynthia worked as a Visiting Scientist at the Cryospheric Sciences Lab at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center where she led and contributed to publications on remote sensing of sea surface salinity in polar waters.

Cynthia was born and raised in the Philippines and is passionate about mentoring and supporting other minoritized students in STEM. She also holds leadership positions in various professional and university-wide organizations that help build supportive networks and alliances. Cynthia received her M.Eng. in Environmental Engineering from the Catholic University of Korea and her B.S. in Biology from the University of the Philippines. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, bouldering, and painting.