Dr. Jacqueline Michel is an internationally recognized expert in oil and hazardous materials spill response and assessment with a primary focus in the areas of oil fates and effects, non-floating oils, shoreline cleanup, alternative response technologies and natural resource damage assessment. She has participated in research projects in 33 countries.

Since 1982, she has been a member of the Scientific Support Team to the U.S. Coast Guard provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Under this role, she is on 24-hour call and provides technical support for an average of 50 spill events per year. She leads shoreline assessment teams and assists in selecting cleanup methods to minimize the environmental impacts of the spill.

She has written more than 150 manuals, reports, and scientific papers on coastal resource impacts, mapping and protection. As a member of the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences for four years, she served on four National Research Council committees (chairing two), and is a Lifetime Associate of the National Academies. One of the original founders of RPI, which started in 1977, she now serves as the company president.