Cynthia E. Rosenzweig (née Ropes[1]) (born c. 1958) is an American agronomist and climatologistatNASAGoddard Institute for Space Studies, located at Columbia University, "who helped pioneer the study of climate change and agriculture."[2][3] She has over 300 publications[4], over 80 peer-reviewed articles, has authored or edited eight books.[5] She has also served in many different organizations working to develop plans to manage climate change, at the global level with the IPCC as well as in New York City after Hurricane Sandy.
Education and academic career
Rosenzweig attended Cook College (at Rutgers University) earning an Bachelor of Arts degree in agricultural sciences in 1980. Rosenzweig's focus on agriculture began in 1969, when she and her future husband rented and operated a farm in Tuscany, Italy, picking grapes and olives and raising animals like goats, pigs, ducks, and geese.[6] She decided to return to university to study agriculture, earning a Master of Science degree in Soils and Crops from Rutgers University in 1983.[7] During her Master's, she was hired by NASAGoddard Institute for Space Studies to study cropland using satellite data. She then earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences in 1991.[7]
She has continued working for NASA, where she has been the head of the Climate Impacts Group since 1993.[8][9] Her work with the IPCC Task Force on Data was recognized when the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Al Gore and the IPCC.[10]
She also currently serves as an adjunct professor at Barnard College and is also a Senior Research Scientist at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.[11][8][12]
Community Engagement and Advocacy
While at NASA and Columbia's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Rosenzweig has pioneered the study of climate change's impact on agriculture and human cities.[2] She has been involved in numerous working groups attempting to assess and establish plans for managing climate change, including:
Co-Chair, New York City Panel on Climate Change
Co-Leader, Metropolitan East Coast Regional Assessment of the U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, sponsored by the U.S. Global Change Research Program
Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Working Group II Fourth Assessment Report ("Observed Changes" chapter)
Member, IPCC Task Group on Data and Scenarios for Impact and Climate Assessment
Co-Editor, UCCRN First Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3).