William L. Chameides

Bio and Research:

Dr. Bill Chameides has combined more than 30 years in academia as a professor, researcher, teacher, and mentor with a 3-year stint in the NGO world as the chief scientist of the Environmental Defense Fund. He is a:

• member of the National Academy of Sciences,
• fellow of the American Geophysical Union,
• recipient of the American Geophysical Union’s MacElwane Award.

Bill has served on numerous national and international committees and task forces and in recognition was named a National Associate of the National Academies for "extraordinary service." In November, 2008, Bill was appointed the Vice Chair of the Committee on America’s Climate Choices http://americasclimatechoices.org/, commissioned by Congress to develop a multi-decadal roadmap for America’s response to climate change.

He joined Duke as the Dean of the Nicholas School in 2007.

Bill’s research focuses on the atmospheric sciences, elucidating the causes of and remedies for global, regional, and urban environmental change and identifying pathways towards a more sustainable future. Specifically his research helped lay the groundwork for our understanding of the photochemistry of the lower atmosphere, elucidated the importance of nitrogen oxides emission controls in the mitigation of urban and regional photochemical smog, and the impact of regional environmental change on global food production.

He has led two major, multi-institutional research projects:

• the Southern Oxidants Study, a research program focused on understanding the causes and remedies for air pollution in the Southern United States; and
• CHINA-MAP, an international research program studying the effects of environmental change on agriculture in China.

Bill blogs on The Green Grok and The Huffington Post, and is a guest blogger on the Popular Science Magazine’s website PopSci.Com.