John M. Doherty

Dr. John M. Doherty is an environmental scientist experienced in the fields of oceanography, marine ecology, and paleoclimatology. His passion to bridge the gaps between science and governance led him to his current position as the Environmental Law Institute's Science Fellow, where he contributes scientific expertise to the Climate Judiciary Project's (CJP) overarching goal of providing educational services to judges on the science of climate change and climate impacts. This takes the form of 1) writing and editing science-based curriculum modules, 2) advising the CJP team on scientific matters related to climate change, and 3) identifying how cutting-edge climate science may be applied to the law. He also leads a research effort on judicial engagement with science in the context of climate cases in state courts. In addition, he works with the whole CJP team to organize various in-person and virtual events that bring together world-leading members of the scientific, legal-scholarly, and judicial communities. He has previously published academic work on the topics of ocean circulation in the high-latitude North Atlantic, paleoclimatology, and marine biogeochemistry. With experience working in the US and Asia in both natural-science and governance fields, he takes an interdisciplinary and international approach to thinking about environmental problems and their solutions.