Rate My Professor Marcello Vichi

Professor Marcello Vichi is Professor and Head of the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town. He also serves as Director of the Marine and Antarctic Research centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARiS). He holds a PhD in Marine Ecology and Biogeochemistry. Professor Vichi has extensive experience in numerical modelling of the Earth system at global to regional scales. He contributed to the development of the Biogeochemical Flux Model and the CMCC Earth System Model. His research focuses on coupled physical and biogeochemical modelling, Earth system modelling, climate impacts on marine ecosystems, and process studies of biogeochemical dynamics in the regional and global ocean, with particular emphasis on the Southern Ocean, Antarctic sea ice, and polar sciences. He has organized and led scientific expeditions in the Southern Ocean marginal ice zone and serves as principal investigator on international and national research projects addressing polar climate, ocean biogeochemical modelling, and climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.

Professor Vichi delivered his inaugural lecture at the University of Cape Town in 2024, titled “Fifty degrees of separation: Why Antarctica and the polar regions matter for Afrika.” His work integrates modelling with observational studies to advance understanding of ocean-climate interactions.