Jenna Lawrence, a Lecturer in the Discipline of Climate at Columbia’s Climate School, has been named the Spring 2026 Climate Expert in Residence at Columbia Journalism School.
As the school’s in-house expert on climate-related issues, Professor Lawrence will be available to consult with students on reporting projects, story ideas and questions related to environmental sustainability, biodiversity and conservation biology.
Professor Lawrence has conducted fieldwork and led courses across the globe and brings expertise in environmental sustainability and conservation biology. She is co-director of Columbia University’s Earth Network on Nature-based Solutions, part of the Climate School’s Earth Networks program, which fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across 16 Columbia schools to develop new partnerships, research projects, courses and climate strategies.
“Students have really benefited from their conversations with our climate experts in residence, getting help with stories and master’s projects and learning about climate science and policy,” said Professor Marguerite Holloway, the school’s Director of Science and Environmental Journalism. “We are so excited for them to have the chance to work with and get to know Jenna.”
Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, has emphasized the importance of integrating climate reporting across journalism disciplines as part of the School’s CJS2030 Climate Initiative. Journalists play a critical role in helping the public understand the climate crisis and the systems shaping how societies respond to it.
The Climate Expert in Residence program is a key component of CJS2030 and is supported by Columbia Journalism School faculty. The initiative reflects the School’s ongoing dedication to training reporters who can not only communicate with scientists about complex research topics, but also report about those subjects in ways that lead to action.
Explore the CJS2030 Climate Initiative and reporting opportunities: https://journalism.columbia.edu/CJS2030/Climate
