Simon Donner

  • About
  • Research
  • Engagement
  • Lab
  • Kiribati
  • Blog
  • Publications

About

As a Professor of Climatology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), I study why the climate matters to society as well as to ecosystems like coral reefs. My group’s work provides insight into the causes and effects of climate change, public attitudes, policy options at home and abroad, and what can be done to adapt.

Being a scientist, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to engage my curiosity about the natural world for a living. With that opportunity, comes responsibility. As an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow and a Google Science Communication Fellow, I am committed to bridging the gap between the academia and the real world. I regularly participate in public events, comment on radio and television, and maintain a blog.

I grew up in the diverse city of Toronto where even in the dead of winter, I was often packed in a baby carriage and left outside to sleep. Since then, I have been interested in the human, societal, and environmental impacts of climate and climate change. Today I am a Professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), the Department of Geography, and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at UBC in beautiful, damp Vancouver, as well as an associate in UBC’s Liu Institute for Global Issues, The Biodiversity Research Centre, the Atmospheric Sciences Program, and the Director of UBC’s Ocean Leaders program.

I came to UBC after a few years in the Science, Technology and Environment Program in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Years before that, I spent my undergraduate days in the terrific interdisciplinary Arts and Science Programme at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario learning just enough philosophy to make the rest of life difficult. I also did a master’s degree in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University where like most transplants to North Carolina I conducted research on lake ice. After a break from academe, I moved to Madison, Wisconsin to do a PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin with the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment.

Simon Donner
Email: simon.donner@ubc.ca

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Prospective Students

I am open to talking to highly motivated individuals with strong numerical and analytical skills hoping to do graduate or post-doctoral work in climate science. Please look at some of my group’s publications as a guide to potential research areas.

Prospective students can apply through the IRES or Department of Geography program.

What’s New

Climate services promise better decisions but mainly focus on better data 

Quantifying global potential for coral evolutionary response to climate change

Two ways of thinking about the climate impact of voting in elections

How well do people understand the climate impact of individual actions?

The ugly history of climate determinism is still evident today

Read more here.

 

Simon Donner | Climate Scientist, Writer, Speaker | Vancouver, BC