Dr. Jonathan Foley

Dr. Jonathan Foley is the Executive Director of Project Drawdown — the world’s leading guide to climate solutions — and is a leading environmental scientist, writer, and speaker. Dr. Jonathan Foley is a world-renowned environmental scientist, sustainability expert, writer, and public speaker. His work is focused on understanding our changing planet, and finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources we all depend on. Foley’s groundbreaking research has led him to become a trusted advisor to governments, foundations, non-profits, and business leaders around the world. He and his colleagues have made major contributions to our understanding of global ecosystems, food security, climate change, and the sustainability of the world’s resources. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including often-cited works in Science and Nature. He has been named a Highly Cited Researcher, placing him among the top 1 percent most cited scientists worldwide. A noted science communicator, his presentations have been featured at hundreds of international venues, including the Aspen Institute, the World Bank, the National Geographic Society, the Chautauqua Institution, the Commonwealth Club, the National Science March, and TED.com. He has also written popular pieces in National Geographic, the New York Times, the Guardian, Scientific American, and elsewhere. He is also frequently interviewed by international media outlets, and has appeared on National Public Radio, the PBS NewsHour, the BBC, CNN, and in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, WIRED, the HBO documentary “Too Hot Not to Handle”, and the film series “Let Science Speak”.

Foley has won numerous awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, awarded by President Clinton; the J.S. McDonnell Foundation’s 21st Century Science Award; an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship; the Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of America; the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Award; and the Heinz Award for the Environment. In 2018, Foley became the Executive Director of Project Drawdown, the world-leading non-profit dedicated to discovering and sharing science-based climate solutions. Before joining Project Drawdown, Foley led a number of environmental science and sustainability organizations, including the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) at the University of Wisconsin, the Institute on the Environment(IonE) at the University of Minnesota, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Originally from Maine, Foley enjoys nature photography, hiking, kayaking, and exploring new places. He lives in San Francisco.