Drawdown Science

Ruthie Burrows, PhD, is a population-environment researcher with interdisciplinary experience in geography, demography, and epidemiology. At Project Drawdown, her work focuses on developing methods to integrate demographic data into climate solutions analyses. Ruthie earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Minnesota, where she was also a Population Studies Trainee in the Minnesota Population Center. Her dissertation research examined the role of social and natural environmental contexts on child health outcomes in Senegal. Previously, she worked at the Center for a Livable Future, contributing to research on local food systems in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruthie holds master’s degrees in Epidemiology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from Johns Hopkins University. 

Jonathan Foley, PhD, is executive director of Project Drawdown and a world-renowned environmental scientist. His work focuses on finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles and had presentations featured at hundreds of international venues. Jon founded the University of Wisconsin Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, served as the founding director of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, and served as executive director of the California Academy of Sciences.

James Gerber, PhD, is a senior scientist, data science, with Project Drawdown. He has special expertise in agriculture’s impact on Earth’s ecosystems, food security, and the interrelation of climate and food security. Lead author for the Sixth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with a focus on development pathways, he comes to Project Drawdown from the University of Minnesota.  

Sarah Gleeson, PhD, is a materials scientist with expertise in plastics, carbon removal, and science communication. She earned her doctorate from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she wrote her thesis on designing a nanoscale synthetic bone composite. Previously, Sarah was a scientist at Running Tide studying ocean carbon removal and a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab researching surfactants at liquid interfaces. Her research interests include systems-level decarbonization, waste mitigation, and global materials circularity. At Project Drawdown, she is analyzing the impact of emissions reductions in the industrial sector and the techno-economic potential of engineered carbon sinks. She also supervises research fellows assessing solutions in the Electricity, Industry, Buildings, Transportation, Other Energy, and Industrial Carbon Removal sectors.

Daniel Jasper is the policy advisor for Project Drawdown. Previously, he worked for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), where he advocated for peace, humanitarian cooperation, and international development in Asia, and at World Learning, where he administered the state department's International Visitor Leadership Program. Founder and primary author of StreetCivics.com, Dan served in the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan from 2008 to 2010 and in Saint Lucia from 2013 to 2014. He has also worked for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Minnesota House of Representatives, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum. 

Amanda D. Smith, PhD, is senior scientist, built environment, with Project Drawdown and a researcher and analyst in building science and energy systems modeling. Her professional career includes academic, national laboratory, and industry positions. Most recently, she served as senior energy analyst at SOCOTEC USA. She received her doctorate from Mississippi State University.

Christina (Tina) Swanson, PhD, is senior scientist, policy and private sector partnerships, with Project Drawdown. An environmental scientist with a background in cross-disciplinary research and multi-faceted engagement at the interface of science and policy, she is driven by an enduring passion to turn science into action to solve environmental problems and benefit society. Tina comes to Project Drawdown with more than two decades experience in the environmental non-profit arena, including with The Bay Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Paul West, PhD, is senior scientist, ecosystems and agriculture, for Project Drawdown. An ecologist researching solutions on managing lands and waters to improve food security, climate, nature, and people’s lives, he is driven by conducting cutting-edge science and working with others to effect change on the ground. He previously worked at The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota. He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. 

Michael Dioha, Ph.D., works at the intersection of research, policy, and real-world solutions. He is currently a Senior Energy Researcher at Clean Air Task Force, where he focuses on energy systems analysis and modeling, Africa’s energy transition, and energy policy and planning. At Project Drawdown, he contributes to efforts in assessing climate solutions in the electricity sector. Previously, Michael was a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science, where he studied the role of electric vehicles in deeply decarbonized electricity systems. He has worked on global projects, collaborating with experts from diverse backgrounds and advising organizations such as the International Renewable Energy Agency. His research is widely published in reputable academic journals, and he serves on the editorial board of Environmental Research Letters.

Avery Driscoll is an ecologist who studies the interactions between agricultural systems and climate change. She is particularly interested in ways that we can adapt to changing growing conditions while also reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. Avery is currently a Ph.D. candidate and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Colorado State University, where she works on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and productivity benefits from irrigation at the national scale. Previously, she worked at the University of Utah studying desert plant ecophysiology. Her work at Project Drawdown focuses on climate solutions related to agricultural management and ecosystem protection.   

Nina-Francesca Farac, Ph.D., is an applied chemist with expertise in materials development, carbon-based electronics, and circular economy strategies. Her research interests include life cycle assessments, global resource management, and systems-level decarbonization. At Project Drawdown, she focuses on assessing climate solutions in the industry sector. Previously, Nina was an intern scientist at the startup Amber Molecular Inc. She has also worked on interdisciplinary projects investigating waste mitigation of rare earth elements from spent EV batteries and catalysis for commodity chemicals manufacturing, served as the communications coordinator for the Green Chemistry Initiative (GCI) at the University of Toronto (UofT), and was a fellow at the ACS Summer School on Green Chemistry & Sustainable Energy at the Colorado School of Mines. Nina earned her doctorate in Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and her H.BSc in Materials Chemistry at UofT. 

Heather Jones, Ph.D., is an economist who specializes in the intersection of infrastructure, transportation, and climate change. She has expertise in including externalities in assessments through CBA, LCA, and creating specialized models. Her work for Project Drawdown centers on climate solutions in the transportation sector. Heather earned her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Portugal Program-University of Lisbon in Transportation Systems and an MBA in finance from the Jenkins School of Management at NCSU. She has lectured at MIT, SciencesPo and University of Lisbon-Técnico. She has worked on transportation, Infratech, climate financing mechanisms, and the circular economy at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, UN ESCAP, World Bank, and GCSE and served as an associate editor for the Encyclopedia of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Jason Lam holds a bachelor’s degree in biosystems engineering with an environmental specialization from the University of Manitoba and a master of engineering leadership in clean energy engineering from the University of British Columbia. He previously worked in the nonprofit sector with the Pembina Institute, where he conducted analysis on Canada’s liquefied natural gas sector, and has experience in the engineering consulting sector in both Manitoba and British Columbia with downstream oil and gas clients. His work with Project Drawdown focuses on the buildings, electricity, and industry sectors. 

Megan Matthews, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in using data and outreach to promote sustainability, food equity, and environmental justice through the lens of agroecology. At Project Drawdown, her work focuses on climate solutions in the electricity and food & agriculture sectors. Megan earned her Ph.D. in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology studying the aerodynamics of plant-pollinator interactions before joining the Institute for Local Self-Reliance as a research fellow supporting the Composting for Community Initiative.In her free time, Megan enjoys baking, volunteering at community gardens, and frequenting outdoor festivals and markets.

Heather McDiarmid, Ph.D., is a climate change mitigation consultant and educator who specializes in decarbonization solutions for the residential sector. She has a strong passion for heat pumps that, while not perfect, are incredibly energy efficient, very effective at reducing building emissions in most regions, and also improve comfort and double as air-conditioners (how can you not get excited about that!). At Project Drawdown, her work focuses on climate solutions related to buildings, electricity, industry, and transportation.

Zoltan Nagy, Ph.D., researches intelligent energy management systems for buildings and cities. His work with CityLearn, an open-source platform for energy modeling, helps communities reduce their carbon footprint through smarter grid interaction.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Nagy focuses on practical applications of artificial intelligence for sustainability, developing tools that help buildings use energy more efficiently while maintaining comfort. His research bridges academic innovation with real-world implementation, contributing to climate solutions in the built environment. He holds an Msc and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Christina Richardson, Ph.D., is a coastal hydrologist and biogeochemist who studies the impacts of climate change and other disturbances, like wildfire, on aquatic ecosystems. She has worked on a wide range of projects across the terrestrial-marine nexus, from tracking wastewater pollution in groundwater entering coral reefs to carbon cycling in drained and restored peatlands. At Project Drawdown, her work focuses on climate solutions at the coast and in the ocean. Christina received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Earth and Planetary Sciences and M.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She is also a National Geographic Explorer. Christina holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz as well.

Eric Toensmeier is a writer, trainer, and consultant working on agricultural climate change mitigation. Eric has served as a senior fellow with Project Drawdown and the Global Evergreening Alliance, and a lecturer at Yale University. He specializes in agroforestry and perennial crops. At Project Drawdown, he supervises research fellows assessing solutions in the Food, Agriculture, Land, and Ocean and Nature-Based Carbon Removal sectors. His books include The Carbon Farming Solution and Trees with Edible Leaves.

Aishwarya Venkat , Ph.D., is a geospatial analyst and food systems researcher with interdisciplinary expertise in the climate-food-health nexus. She is particularly interested in climate resilience and food security in coupled human and natural systems. At Project Drawdown her work focuses on climate solutions related to land use change and sustainable diets.  Aishwarya recently earned her doctorate from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University with a dissertation on extreme weather event impacts on food systems. Her prior work focused on contextualizing seasonal trends in acute malnutrition in arid and semi-arid regions, as well as improving global monitoring of diet costs and affordability. She holds a master’s degree in environmental and water resources engineering from Tufts and a bachelor's degree in biosystems engineering from Virginia Tech.