Biography
Scott Barrett is the Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics at Columbia University, on sabbatical for the 2026-2027 academic year as visiting fellow at the Oxford Martin School. Before Columbia, he was at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Before this, he was at the London Business School. From 2022-2025, he was Centennial (visiting) Professor at the London School of Economics.
Scott’s research focuses on ways to achieve international cooperation on issues ranging from climate change to infectious disease eradication and ocean governance. He has received numerous awards for this work, including an honorary degree from the University of Bath. In 2024 he was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences. He has also played a variety of roles in the policy arena, from lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to member of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication. He received a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics.