Jane Lubchenco, a former President of ICSU, and Indian scientist Madhav Gadgil have been jointly awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for Work in Changing Policy.
Lubchenco, who was President of ICSU between 2002-2005, served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2009-2013) and was recently named first-ever U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean by the United States Department of State.
Madhav Gadgil is the D.D. Kosambi Visiting Research Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Goa University and chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel for India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests. The landmark report on the biodiversity of the region sparked a national conversation about conservation policies and built upon his earlier work helping to draft India’s Biological Diversity Act.
“Drs. Lubchenco and Gadgil represent the very best in bringing high-quality science to policymaking to protect our environment and ensure the sustainability of natural resources in their respective countries and around the world,” said Tyler Prize Executive Committee Chair Owen T. Lind, Professor of Biology at Baylor University. “Both of these laureates have bridged science with cultural and economic realities—like the impact on Indigenous Peoples in India or fishing communities in the United States—to advance the best possible conservation policies.”
The emphasis on conducting science to address practical questions and bringing that science to bear on policy drove much of Lubchenco’s work. She served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the International Council for Science (ICSU), and helped to launch several programs to train scientists to engage more effectively with non-scientists, including the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, COMPASS and Climate Central.
Since its inception in 1973 as one of the world’s first international environmental awards, the Tyler Prize has been the premier award for environmental science, environmental health and energy.