Nancy Golubiewski
Principal, He Pou a Rangi | Climate Change Commission
American/New Zealander living in New Zealand
Nancy Golubiewski is a terrestrial ecosystem ecologist and land system scientist, working at the science/policy interface and conducting interdisciplinary research in land-use/land-cover change and ecological processes. Currently, she is a Principal Analyst at He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission in New Zealand, leading the Forest and Bioeconomy portfolios for advice to Government on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The common thread running through her work is investigating socio-ecological land systems and environmental stewardship, with a focus on the ecological consequences of land use, particularly the connections among land, carbon, and climate change. In a varied career, she has worked across sectors, including academia, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and local and national government, navigating the requirements and drivers particular to each, but always for the common purpose of environmental protection and sustainability.
At the Climate Change Commission, she leads research and advice on carbon reduction strategies to meet emission budgets and targets as well as risk assessments of forestry and terrestrial ecosystems for adaptation and resilience plans. At the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), she was part of the inaugural cohort of Principal Scientists created to provide technical advice and leadership. In an earlier role, she led the soils workstream for MfE’s Land Use Carbon Analysis (LUCAS) team to meet New Zealand’s UNFCCC reporting requirements. While at Auckland Council, she led an interdisciplinary team to design and deliver the region’s inaugural climate change risk assessment and subsequently advised elected officials.
She earned a PhD in Ecosystem Ecology from University of Colorado-Boulder; a Master of Environmental Management (with a focus on Landscape Ecology and Resource Ecology) from Duke University; and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology, and International Affairs (with a focus on Environmental Studies) from Georgetown University.
