Biography
Princeton, NJ
Congressional Science Fellow,
American Geophysical Union
Ian completed his Ph.D. in May 2011 in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program at Princeton University. His thesis was on hurricanes and climate change; particularly how changes in ocean thermal conditions can influence hurricane activity, and its implications for climate change. He holds a fellowship in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, working on the global governance of geo-engineering, (manipulation climate systems to combat climate change).
He worked part-time for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and in 2009 joined its delegation at UN climate talks in Copenhagen and was tasked with drafting memos to the U.S. delegation on compliance and transparency; reporting on plenary sessions for the two climate negotiation tracks; and shadowing senior members of EDF in meetings with NGO leaders and delegates from developing countries. He worked with Peter Goldmark to build partnerships with the Bhutan delegation, discuss regional issues and sustainable approaches for reducing carbon emissions. Ian also worked as a policy research associate in the NYC office on EDF’s geo-engineering policy. In September 2011, he will begin work in Congress as a Congressional Science Fellow, sponsored by the American Geophysical Union.
He is interested in being a Climate Change Professional Fellow because he is dedicated to helping find solutions to the critical problem of climate change. He believes he would gain invaluable insight by participating and being able to share his experience in climate science and environmental policy with others would enable him to contribute to building partnerships and finding economic and social solutions to climate change.
His long-term goal is to work on the intersection of climate science and policy, and contribute to finding solutions to climate change through international diplomacy. Curbing global greenhouse gas emissions is an economic and political problem tied to development, provision of financial aid and transfer of low-carbon technologies, and the correct harnessing of market forces. He believes the experience of working with the Asia-Pacific countries would be invaluable in helping to better understand and contribute to effective global mitigation and adaptation strategies.