In this episode we are speaking with Adam Sobel, Professor of Applied Physics, Mathematics and Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Adam is an atmospheric and climate scientist and his research focuses on tropical meteorology and extreme weather events, particularly hurricanes. Adam is also actively engaged in public outreach through media interviews, op-eds, podcasting and his popular science book about Hurricane Sandy that made landfall in New York in 2012. 

In light of the current and proposed US funding cuts to science and climate science specifically, Adam and others have been raising awareness about the potential harm to American science and society more broadly. In our conversation with Adam, we talked about his own research program, his journey to becoming a more public-facing scientist, and the scale of the funding cuts facing US federal agencies and academic institutions. America is a leader in science and innovation and Adam stressed that this is not by chance; it is the result of a curiosity-driven, highly productive and government-funded science ecosystem established in the US post-World War II. It was a difficult conversation, but an important one. So, with that, here’s our conversation with Adam Sobel.