Katherine Richardson Christensen (born May 11, 1954 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois) is Professor in Biological

Oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

, leader of the Sustainability Science Centre and a principal investigator for the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. She was the vice dean of the Faculty of Science from 2007–2012. Her research focuses on the importance of biological processes in the ocean for the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and how ocean biology, including diversity, contributes to ocean function in the Earth System. Katherine was one of the main organisers of the scientific conference " Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions", which sought to inform the

2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The conference is officially referred to as the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework ...

Life and work

She completed a B.A. at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1976 and completed a Ph.D. in Marine Science from University of North Wales, UK 1980. Katherine Richardson was Chairman of the Danish Commission on Climate Change Policy that reported in 2010 and presented a roadmap for how Denmark can become independent of fossil fuels by 2050. She is at present a member of the Danish Climate Council and was a member of the 15-person Independent Group of Scientists appointed by Ban Ki Moon to draft the 2019 UN Global Sustainable Development Report. She is Co-Editor in Chief of the ''

Marine Ecology Progress Series The ''Marine Ecology Progress Series'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all aspects of marine ecology. History The journal was founded by Otto Kinne. Its original concept was based on ''Marine Ecology'', also once edited by Kin ...

'' and a member of the editorial board for ''Global Sustainability''. Authorship of books includes ''Our Threatened Oceans'' (2008) with Stefan Rahmstorf and ''Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions'' (2014) together with Will Steffen, Diana Liverman and others. She is or has been a member or chair of numerous national and international committees and organisations relating to science policy and/or sustainability. She is currently co-chair of the Northern European Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

Honors

Marshall Scholarship The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...

* Danish Order of the Dannebrog

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson Christensen, Katherine Living people 1954 births Women oceanographers Oceanographers Danish women biologists Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen Danish women scientists Harvard University alumni Alumni of Bangor University