The University of Arizona

James L. Buizer

Professor
Title: 
Professor, SNRE; Research Professor, OALS, Director of Climate Adaptation and International Development, Institute of the Environment
Area of Expertise: 
Sustainability science; climate change; climate change impacts; climate change adaptation; boundary spanning organizations; decision-making; international development
Academic Degree(s)
BS 1982 Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
MMA 1984 Marine Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Contact Information
520-626-4454
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
325 Biosciences East
Tucson, AZ 85721

Curriculum Vitae: 


James (Jim) Buizer's work focuses on climate adaptation, sustainability, institutional transformation, and science for international development. He is leading an effort to establish a network of institutions dedicated to integrating research-based knowledge about climate impacts and options for adaptation into decisions, particularly aimed at sustainable development around the world. 

Before joining the UA, Jim served as Science Policy Advisor to the President Michael Crow at Arizona State University (ASU) and Executive Director for Strategic Institutional Transformation in the Office of the President. Buizer led the design and establishment of the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability and its School of Sustainability, where he continues to hold an appointment as Senior Sustainability Scientist.

Prior to ASU, Jim spent 20 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including serving as Director of the Climate and Societal Interactions Office in Washington, D.C., where he established and led NOAA's integrated, multidisciplinary climate research and applications programs, including the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Jim also led the U.S. Government review of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
 
Jim serves on the Executive Secretariat of the Federal Advisory Committee for the National Climate Assessment and on the Boards of Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment and Second Nature, Inc. He is Chairman of the Climate Adaptation Working Group for the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, an Operating Advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors, LP, and an Advisory Board Member for Planet Forward.