State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

faculty profiles21

  • Leaders of Distinction: The Lamont Research Professor

    Robin Bell will soon become one of the most senior Observatory researchers to receive the title of Lamont Research Professor, which elevates the status of Lamont’s distinguished researchers to something akin to tenure in the University setting, and which will support Lamont’s recruitment efforts of such dedicated educator/researchers well into the future.

  • Alissa Park – Lenfest Junior Professor in Applied Climate Science

    When rising star Ah-Hyung Alissa Park was invited to come to Columbia University to give a seminar on her work in sustainable energy and the mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide, she knew she was being interviewed, but she did not know about the offer she would soon receive to be the Lenfest Junior Professor in…

  • Klaus S. Lackner – Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy

    To address the exponential rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations since the Industrial Revolution, Professor Klaus S. Lackner, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at the Earth Institute, is working on ambitious carbon capture and sequestration strategies.  “Our goal is to take a process that takes 100,000 years and compress it into 30…

  • Ruth DeFries – Denning Professor of Sustainable Development; Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology

    What can satellite imagery tell us about the impact of humanity’s transformation of the landscape on climate and ecosystems? A lot, according to Ruth DeFries, ecosystems expert, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development, and professor of ecology, evolution, and environmental biology at Columbia University and the Earth Institute’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). DeFries…

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • Leaders of Distinction: The Lamont Research Professor

    Robin Bell will soon become one of the most senior Observatory researchers to receive the title of Lamont Research Professor, which elevates the status of Lamont’s distinguished researchers to something akin to tenure in the University setting, and which will support Lamont’s recruitment efforts of such dedicated educator/researchers well into the future.

  • Alissa Park – Lenfest Junior Professor in Applied Climate Science

    When rising star Ah-Hyung Alissa Park was invited to come to Columbia University to give a seminar on her work in sustainable energy and the mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide, she knew she was being interviewed, but she did not know about the offer she would soon receive to be the Lenfest Junior Professor in…

  • Klaus S. Lackner – Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy

    To address the exponential rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations since the Industrial Revolution, Professor Klaus S. Lackner, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at the Earth Institute, is working on ambitious carbon capture and sequestration strategies.  “Our goal is to take a process that takes 100,000 years and compress it into 30…

  • Ruth DeFries – Denning Professor of Sustainable Development; Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology

    What can satellite imagery tell us about the impact of humanity’s transformation of the landscape on climate and ecosystems? A lot, according to Ruth DeFries, ecosystems expert, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development, and professor of ecology, evolution, and environmental biology at Columbia University and the Earth Institute’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). DeFries…