Jane Lubchenco

Named Nature's first Newsmaker of the Year in 2010, Jane Lubchenco was an American environmental scientist and marine ecologist whose work spanned biodiversity, climate change, and the sustainable use of oceans.

From 2009 to 2013, she served as Administrator of NOAA and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, having been invited by President-Elect Obama to join his science team. In February 2021, President Joe Biden appointed her deputy director for Climate and Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She also served as the Mimi and Peter Haas Distinguished Visitor in Public Service at Stanford University during her transition out of NOAA.

Her research was based at Oregon State University, where she studied the interactions between the environment and human well-being. In 1993, she received the MacArthur "genius" award, and she held more than 20 honorary degrees. In 2002, Discover magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science.