Overview
Established in March 2025, the US Academic Alliance for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (USAA-IPCC) is a network of U.S. universities that are registered observers with the IPCC. AGU is hosting the USAA-IPCC network.
The founding members are Colby College, College of the Atlantic, Dickinson College, Indiana University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, the University of California-San Diego, Washington University in St. Louis, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Yale University.
As IPCC Observers, the USAA-IPCC members are able to submit nominations in response to IPCC calls for expert nominations. USAA-IPCC aims to increase awareness of authorship calls and expand nomination opportunities for experts in climate research and practice.
On 7 March 2025, the IPCC issued calls for:
- IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) - Working Group I, II, and III - Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs), Lead Authors (LAs), and Review Editors
- Experts for the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data)
Nominations are solicited from Government Focal Points, Observer Organizations, and Bureau members. If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S.-based expert in climate research or practice and are interested in being nominated, we encourage you to submit your materials for nomination to both USAA-IPCC and the US government process.
Register for a free webinar on 27 March 2025, 2 p.m. ET, to learn more about the nomination process through USAA-IPCC. If you are a U.S.-based expert in climate research or practice and are interested in being nominated to the IPCC for consideration on upcoming assessments, we encourage you to attend this webinar to learn how to submit your materials for nomination to both USAA-IPCC and the US government process.
Calls for Authors, Editors and Data Experts
IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) - Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs), Lead Authors (LAs), or Review Editors (REs) for the Working Groups I, II, and III
The outlines for the Working Group I, II and III contributions to the Seventh Assessment Report were adopted at the 62nd session of the IPCC, held 24-28 February 2025. The IPCC call is available here, information on the nomination process here, and details on the IPCC author selection process here.
The three IPCC Working Groups are populated with volunteer CLAs, LAs, and REs. CLAs and LAs are responsible for drafting the chapters and revising them considering comments submitted during the two IPCC-mandated review processes. CLAs and LAs are expected to attend four Lead Author Meetings between 2025 and 2027/2028, and virtual chapter drafting meetings. Governments and observer organizations forward nominations to the IPCC Bureau, which is the body that ultimately selects the authors, based on expertise, geographic representation, people with a range of experience (including none) with the IPCC, and gender balance.
IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data)
USAA-IPCC Is also issuing an Open Call for experts to serve in the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data). TG-Data provides guidance to the IPCC’s Data Distribution Centre on curation, traceability, stability, availability and transparency of data and scenarios related to the reports of the IPCC. Per the IPCC call, TG-Data work “mainly requires but is not restricted to, data specialists with expertise in areas such as data provenance, scientific workflows, climate data handling systems, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) Data principles, and development and/or analysis of climate and observational datasets.”
Nomination Instructions
Nominations for experts who are based at U.S. institutions may be submitted to USAA-IPCC through April 4, 2025. Register for a free webinar on 27 March 2025, 2 p.m. ET, to learn more about the nomination process through USAA-IPCC.
Note - Experts who are not U.S. citizens or based at U.S. institutions should apply through their government’s process, and experts who are affiliated with IPCC Observer Organizations that are not members of USAA-IPCC should apply through their organization.
The required submission package includes:
- an IPCC-provided nomination form, available for download below,
- a supporting curriculum vitae of no more than four pages (pdf no larger than 2MB)
Both documents must be uploaded to the submission form.
Please note that the instructions for the nomination form and the file type and size for the CV are strict and any that do not follow the guidelines will be rejected by the IPCC portal.
All applicants with relevant expertise will be forwarded by one of the member institutions of USAA-IPCC for consideration to the IPCC Bureau. Forwarding an application does not constitute an endorsement of a candidate by the USAA-IPCC or its members, nor does it mean selection as an expert. All final decisions on expert selection are made by the IPCC Bureau.
Funding for Experts: USAA-IPCC is working to facilitate and expand opportunities for nomination but is not committing to provide travel and subsistence funding. Traditionally, the U.S. government has provided travel and subsistence funding for its nominees who are selected as authors. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents wishing to be considered for any funding the U.S. government may choose to provide should also forward their submission package to the U.S. government.
USAA-IPCC Steering Committee Members
- Pamela McElwee, Professor of Human Ecology, Rutgers University (Chair)
- Greg Drozd, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Colby College
- Robert Kopp, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University
- Neil Leary, Associate Provost and Director, Center for Sustainability Education, Dickinson College
- Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences, University of California-San Diego
- Beth Martin, Teaching Professor in Environmental Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
- Jessica O’Reilly, Associate Professor of International Studies, Indiana University
- Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs and the High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University
- Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Director of Marine Policy Center and Senior Advisor to the President on Ocean and Climate Policy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Mark Shimamoto, Vice President for Global Outreach and Partnerships, AGU
- Doreen Stabinsky, Professor, Global Environmental Politics, College of the Atlantic
- Julie Zimmerman, Vice Provost for Planetary Solutions, Professor of Green Engineering, Deputy Director for Research at Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University
Contact Razmila Razaak, AGU Program Coordinator for Global Outreach, with questions.