State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

faculty profiles16

  • Faculty Profile: Susan Blaustein

    Faculty Profile: Susan Blaustein

    With more than half of the world now living in cities, and well over half of that number living in urban poverty, Professor Blaustein believes that humanizing the city – making it livable for women and families- is a key factor in ensuring its sustainability.

  • Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Like many who have devoted their lives to global public health, Dr. Richard Deckelbaum is regularly challenged by the lack of financial commitment shown by the international community to make modest investments for drastic improvements in people’s lives. He has a hard time believing that governments cannot see—or simply choose to ignore—that nutrition and health…

  • Faculty Profile: Vijay Modi

    Faculty Profile: Vijay Modi

    Vijay Modi is a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member. He also lead the UN Millennium Project effort on the role of energy and energy services in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). Currently, he is focused on making consumer-scaled versions of technology that is normally supersized available to developing countries.…

  • Faculty Profile: Upmanu Lall

    Faculty Profile: Upmanu Lall

      As he explained in a recent issue of Columbia Engineering, for Professor Upmanu Lall, “the goal of engineering is to develop solutions to societal problems.” Over three decades a hydrologist, Lall has focused on the societal problems associated with water: from severe water shortages that are expected to occur in one-third of the developing…

  • Faculty Profile: Kitty Kay Chan

    Faculty Profile: Kitty Kay Chan

    Master of Science in Sustainability Management professor Kitty Kay Chan was drawn to the program because she felt the curriculum’s interdisciplinary learning environment was the perfect catalyst for future sustainability managers to effect real change.

  • Faculty Profile:  Patricia Culligan

    Faculty Profile: Patricia Culligan

    Patricia Culligan’s intellectual trajectory should be an inspiration to anyone who spends their life wondering what they want to be when they grow up. Culligan began her journey by specializing in soil mechanics in her undergraduate years because “soil mechanics felt like one of the civil engineering subjects I was studying where, because natural materials…

  • Faculty Profile: Allen Zweben

    Faculty Profile: Allen Zweben

    Allen Zweben is currently doing landmark research on integrating behavioral and pharmacological treatment for alcohol problems. His specific focus has been on exploring the biological and psychosocial pathways that can produce lasting change for individuals with alcohol problems. Zweben has derived important insights on the kinds of behavioral strategies that might be employed along with…

  • Faculty Profile: Robert Pollack

    Faculty Profile: Robert Pollack

    Robert Pollack, biology professor and the director of the Earth Institute’s Center for the Study of Science and Religion, sums up his academic interests on the biology department’s Web site this way: “To reconsider the large question—is the natural normative?—from both scientific and religious perspectives at once.” Pollack also holds positions as a lecturer at…

  • Faculty Profile: Stephen E. Zebiak

    Faculty Profile: Stephen E. Zebiak

    Dr. Zebiak is a Senior Research Scientist and is the head of the Climate Services Partnership, which is housed at the IRI. The Climate Services Partnership is an information collaborative platform to advance knowledge, tools, and capacities in the delivery of science-based climate services to inform practical decision and policy making. Previously, Dr. Zebiak was…

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Faculty Profile: Susan Blaustein

    Faculty Profile: Susan Blaustein

    With more than half of the world now living in cities, and well over half of that number living in urban poverty, Professor Blaustein believes that humanizing the city – making it livable for women and families- is a key factor in ensuring its sustainability.

  • Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Like many who have devoted their lives to global public health, Dr. Richard Deckelbaum is regularly challenged by the lack of financial commitment shown by the international community to make modest investments for drastic improvements in people’s lives. He has a hard time believing that governments cannot see—or simply choose to ignore—that nutrition and health…

  • Faculty Profile: Vijay Modi

    Faculty Profile: Vijay Modi

    Vijay Modi is a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member. He also lead the UN Millennium Project effort on the role of energy and energy services in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). Currently, he is focused on making consumer-scaled versions of technology that is normally supersized available to developing countries.…

  • Faculty Profile: Upmanu Lall

    Faculty Profile: Upmanu Lall

      As he explained in a recent issue of Columbia Engineering, for Professor Upmanu Lall, “the goal of engineering is to develop solutions to societal problems.” Over three decades a hydrologist, Lall has focused on the societal problems associated with water: from severe water shortages that are expected to occur in one-third of the developing…

  • Faculty Profile: Kitty Kay Chan

    Faculty Profile: Kitty Kay Chan

    Master of Science in Sustainability Management professor Kitty Kay Chan was drawn to the program because she felt the curriculum’s interdisciplinary learning environment was the perfect catalyst for future sustainability managers to effect real change.

  • Faculty Profile:  Patricia Culligan

    Faculty Profile: Patricia Culligan

    Patricia Culligan’s intellectual trajectory should be an inspiration to anyone who spends their life wondering what they want to be when they grow up. Culligan began her journey by specializing in soil mechanics in her undergraduate years because “soil mechanics felt like one of the civil engineering subjects I was studying where, because natural materials…

  • Faculty Profile: Allen Zweben

    Faculty Profile: Allen Zweben

    Allen Zweben is currently doing landmark research on integrating behavioral and pharmacological treatment for alcohol problems. His specific focus has been on exploring the biological and psychosocial pathways that can produce lasting change for individuals with alcohol problems. Zweben has derived important insights on the kinds of behavioral strategies that might be employed along with…

  • Faculty Profile: Robert Pollack

    Faculty Profile: Robert Pollack

    Robert Pollack, biology professor and the director of the Earth Institute’s Center for the Study of Science and Religion, sums up his academic interests on the biology department’s Web site this way: “To reconsider the large question—is the natural normative?—from both scientific and religious perspectives at once.” Pollack also holds positions as a lecturer at…

  • Faculty Profile: Stephen E. Zebiak

    Faculty Profile: Stephen E. Zebiak

    Dr. Zebiak is a Senior Research Scientist and is the head of the Climate Services Partnership, which is housed at the IRI. The Climate Services Partnership is an information collaborative platform to advance knowledge, tools, and capacities in the delivery of science-based climate services to inform practical decision and policy making. Previously, Dr. Zebiak was…