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NASA’s chief scientist *was* a women - a kickass one, at that

On March 12, 2025 NASA announced that it is eliminating the Office of the Chief Scientist. Dr. Katherine Calvin, a climate science expert, has held the position of chief scientist since2022. 

The New York Times, in its coverage of this “reduction in force,” unfortunately just barely touched on the significance of eliminating an office dedicated to nonpartisan, evidence-based research. They said not one word about this administration’s impact on the career of yet another U.S. woman in STEM.

So, introducing Dr. Katherine Calvin. 

From her NASA bio (as of 3/12/25), in case it, too is erased in the coming days:

Dr. Katherine Calvin is NASA’s chief scientist, a position she has served since her appointment on Jan. 10, 2022.

As chief scientist, Dr. Calvin advises agency leadership on the agency’s science programs and science-related strategic planning and investments. She also has served as senior climate advisor, where she provided recommendations for the agency’s climate-related science, technology, and infrastructure programs.

Since 2008, Dr. Calvin has been an Earth scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) in College Park, Maryland. She worked in JGCRI’s Global Change Analysis Model, a system for exploring and analyzing the relationships between human and Earth systems in the context of global climate change. She also worked on the Department of Energy’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model, a system for analyzing the past, present, and future state of the Earth system. Her research simulates the interaction between global resources, focusing on the impact of land, water, and energy use through an environmental and socioeconomic lens. 

Dr. Calvin has co-authored over 150 publications. Her recent publications have investigated growing populations against agriculture and water scarcity in the face of climate change.

In July 2023, Calvin was selected as Co-Chair of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the 7th assessment cycle. She has contributed to previous IPCC reports, including two special reports, the Working Group III report, and the synthesis report. Calvin also served on a National Academy of Sciences research committee on models of the world, which was commissioned by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to create models for interrelated global systems such as economics, politics, and environment. She contributed to the third U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Calvin received her doctorate in Management, Science, and Engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor of science in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Maryland.

In a 2023 interview at her alma mater, the University of Maryland, Dr. Calvin talked about how she became interested in science and studying climate change. 

Tell us about your new position at NASA as chief scientist and senior climate advisor—how did it come about and what are your responsibilities?

NASA has had a chief scientist position for many years and created the position of senior climate advisor in early 2021. The agency combined those two roles and I started serving in this position in January of 2022. NASA’s climate research spans the agency and includes observations, models, applied science and technology development. As senior climate advisor, my job is to help connect climate research within NASA and communicate that research externally to other agencies, international partners, and the public. As chief scientist, my job is to communicate and advance NASA science more broadly.

How did your academic experiences before college steer you toward mathematics and computer science and UMD?

I am originally from Maryland. In high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up or even what the options were. I knew I liked math, so I declared it as a major. I had taken one computer science class in high school but didn’t add it as a second major until I got to UMD. 

I started researching climate change in grad school. I have always spent a lot of time outdoors hiking, camping, biking and boating. By spending a lot of time outside, I developed a deep appreciation for nature and an awareness of weather. Climate change was an opportunity for me to bring together my technical skills with something that mattered to me.

Why is it so important for NASA to go all in on addressing climate change now?

We know from observations made on and above the Earth’s surface that the planet’s climate is changing. 2021 was tied for the 6th warmest year on record. And collectively, the past eight years have been the warmest since modern record keeping began. Along with increases in temperature, we’re experiencing other changes in the Earth system, including declines in Arctic sea ice, increases in sea level, more heavy precipitation events, more heatwaves and more wildfires. We know from science that many of those impacts will increase with more warming. NASA’s Earth observations, models and applied science tools can help us better understand and respond to climate change.

Watch an interview with Dr. Katherine Calvin about climate science and mentoring future leaders - women leaders, we hope! 

(Photo and bio courtesy of nasa.gov)





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