Professor Norman Myers, Fellow of the School
Professor Myers graduated from Oxford University in 1958, and earned his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973. He has taught at several dozen renowned universities on both sides of the Atlantic, notably Oxford and Harvard. He has served as an adviser to many governments, international agencies and academic bodies, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Soviet Academy of Sciences, the White House, the U.S. Departments of State, Defense and Energy, the World Bank, the United Nations, NASA, the European Commission and the Rockefeller and MacArthur foundations.
A truly interdisciplinary scientist, Professor Norman Myers was the first scientist to alert the global community to tropical deforestation, the mass extinction underway, and environmental security. He is a renowned expert on systems ecology, resource economics, biodiversity, disruption of future evolution, and developing-country poverty, with field experience in more than 50 countries. Myers’ "Biodiversity Hotspots" strategy for threatened species has mobilised $850 million, the largest sum ever assigned to a single conservation strategy.
Dr. Myers has received numerous awards and honours, including the Volvo Environmental Prize (1992), the UN Sasakawa Environment Prize (1995), and the Blue Planet Prize (2001). Dr Myers’ awards and experiences testify to the high regard accorded to his innovative research. He has raised the awareness of influential politicians (including six prime ministers and presidents), leading policy makers, and business chiefs worldwide, notably with respect to the linkages between environmental safeguards and economic development.
Affiliated positions include: Adjunct Professor at Duke University; Visiting Professor at the University of Vermont, the University of Cape Town and the United Nations University; Honorary Visiting Fellow of Green College, External Fellow of the James Martin Institute, and Visiting Professor at the Oxford Centre for the Environment.