Before coming to Florida State University, Dr. Ruth H. Preller received her Bachelor of Science in Physics and German from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA in 1975. She then came to FSU and received both her Masters of Science (1978) and Ph. D. (1985) degrees in Meteorology. She is currently the Supervisory Oceanographer of the Coastal and Semi-Enclosed Seas Section of the Ocean Dynamics and Prediction Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. Before becoming Supervisory Oceanographer, her career included being a Research Oceanographer as The Ice-Ocean modeling team leader at the Naval Research Laboratory from 1983-1995 and being a Research Scientist at JAYCOR, now known as The Advanced Technologies Applications Group, in Alexandria, Virginia from 1979-1983.

Dr. Preller's main interest is in the numerical prediction of ocean dynamics, which includes the prediction of many different aspects of the ocean’s circulation such as the prediction of tides, ocean currents, ocean temperature and salinity, and even the prediction of the growth and decay of sea ice in polar regions. She became interested in the fields of meteorology and oceanography while an undergraduate physics majors. She wanted to take the applications she learned in physics and apply it to situations that happen everyday in the atmosphere and the ocean.

Dr. Preller gives a lot of credit to her major professor at FSU, Dr. James O’Brien, for showing her “how powerful a tool numerical models can be in oceanography and meteorology.” One of the things Dr. Preller enjoys about her field is discovering why something is the way it is and the challenge of it. “Why the extent of the sea ice in the Arctic has diminished so drastically over the past few years or why the storm surge associated with hurricane Isabel was so intense in Chesapeake Bay.  When that understanding hits you, it is truly thrilling.”  Dr. Preller also has interests in geology and astronomy.

Dr. Preller is a member of various organizations, including The Oceanography Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, and Sigma Xi. She also serves on several scientific committees and has published numerous articles. Dr. Preller has also received many recognitions, including the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) 75th Anniversary Award for Innovation for the development of the Polar Ice Prediction System and serving as High Latitude Physics Editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans from May 1994 to April 1999.