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Drew Todd Shindell

Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Earth Science
Earth and Climate Sciences
9 Circuit Dr, PO Box 90328, Grainger Hall, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Drew Shindell is Nicholas Professor of Earth Science at Duke University. From 1995 to 2014 he was at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City and taught at Columbia University. He earned his Bachelor's at UC Berkeley and PhD at Stony Brook University, both in Physics. He studies climate change, air quality, and links between science and policy. He has been an author on >250 peer-reviewed publications, received awards from Scientific American, NASA, the NSF and the EPA, and is a fellow of AGU and AAAS.

He has testified on climate issues before both houses of the US Congress (at the request of both parties), developed a climate change course with the American Museum of Natural History, and made numerous media appearances as part of his outreach efforts. He chaired the 2011 UNEP/WMO Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone, and was a Coordinating Lead Author on the 2013 Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC and on the 2018 IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C. He also chairs the Scientific Advisory Panel to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition of nations and organizations.


Current Appointments & Affiliations


Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Earth Science · 2016 - Present Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor of Climate Sciences · 2014 - Present Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2017 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2021 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published October 25, 2024
Individuals and Groups Collect 19 Climate and Sustainability Awards
Published October 2, 2023
How Nicholas School Faculty Members Are Working to Protect the Seafloor
Published May 2, 2023
Three Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences

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Recent Publications


Preserving carbon dioxide removal to serve critical needs

Journal Article Nature Climate Change · January 1, 2025 Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is critical to most net-zero pathways, especially given challenges due to slow decarbonization, hard-to-abate (H2A) economic activities and non-CO2 GHGs. However, land-based CDR, which is the most widely deployed currently and ... Full text Cite

Increased Asian Sulfate Aerosol Emissions Remarkably Enhance Sahel Summer Precipitation

Journal Article Earth's Future · November 1, 2024 Observational evidence shows that Sahel summer precipitation has experienced a considerable increase since the 1980s, coinciding with significant diverging trends of increased sulfate emissions in Asia and decreased emissions in Europe (dipole pattern of a ... Full text Cite

Continuous wildfires threaten public and ecosystem health under climate change across continents

Journal Article Frontiers of Environmental Science and Engineering · October 1, 2024 Wildfires burn approximately 3%–4% of the global land area annually, resulting in massive emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Over the past two decades, there has been a declining trend in both global burned area and wildfire emissions. This ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


The Potential Environmental Effects of Lithium Mining and Extraction

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Albemarle Corporation · 2023 - 2024

Biomass burning in the NASA GISS ModelE2: uncertainty and interactions between emissions, transport and chemistry

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 2017 - 2022

Continued Development of the NASA GISS composition-climate model and analysis of inhomogeneous forcing and climate response

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 2015 - 2022

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stony Brook University · 1995 Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley · 1988 A.B.

External Links


Drew Shindell