Jane Lubchenco is Distinguished Professor of Integrative Biology and Valley Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University. She is a marine ecologist with expertise in the interactions between the environment and human well-being. Her passion and experience span scientific discovery, public service, communication, and public engagement.
She grew up in Denver, received a B.A. in biology from Colorado College, an M.S. in zoology from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in ecology from Harvard University. She is one of the most highly cited ecologists in the world, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Royal Society, the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, among others, and has received numerous awards including a MacArthur ‘genius’ Fellowship and 24 honorary doctorates (most recently from Oxford University).
Lubchenco has served multiple times in the U.S. government and has been nominated by a president and confirmed by the Senate three times. Her service includes leading the Climate and Environment team at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021-2014); the State Department’s first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean (2014-2016) where she was a science diplomat to China, Indonesia, South Africa, Mauritius, and Seychelles; Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator of NOAA, and an inaugural member of President Obama’s Science (dream) Team (2009-2013); and two terms on the National Science Board (1996-2006).
Jane co-founded a pioneering research-teaching-and policy outreach consortium of universities to understand the nearshore ecosystem off the coasts of Oregon and California: PISCO - the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.
She co-founded multiple organizations to better communicate or use scientific information or to train and enable scientists to communicate and engage effectively with the public, policy makers, journalists, and business and industry. These organizations include the Leopold Leadership Program, COMPASS, Climate Central, the National Ocean Protection Coalition, the MPA Project, and most recently, the United By Nature Initiative that is producing the first scientific assessment of the state of nature and nature’s benefits in the U.S.
Jane has served as President of professional scientific societies such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Ecological Society of America, and the International Council for Science.
She has served on the Board of Directors or Trustees of philanthropic organizations such as the Packard Foundation, Oceano Azul Foundation, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. And on the Board of Directors or Trustees of a range of environmental or educational organizations including the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, World Resources Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Science's Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and SeaBOS (Seafood Businesses for Ocean Stewardship).
She was the founding co-chair of the Expert Group for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, (2017-2021) and later served as the U.S. President's envoy to the Ocean Panel (2021-2025).
