Job Title
Chief Environmental Officer
Company
Microsoft
Speaker Bio
Dr. Lucas Joppa is Microsoft’s first Chief Environmental Officer, leading the development and execution of the company’s sustainability strategy across its worldwide business. In this role, he drives Microsoft’s core commitment to sustainability through ongoing technology innovation, program development, policy advancement, and global operational excellence. With a combined background in both environmental science and data science, Dr. Joppa is committed to using the power of technology to advance a growing movement to address the world’s sustainability needs. Dr. Joppa leads Microsoft’s ambitious plans to become a carbon negative, water positive, zero waste company and to build a new planetary computing platform that will transform the way we monitor, model, and manage Earth’s natural systems.
Recognized by Fortune magazine in its “40 Under 40” list, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. He is recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers, is an Associate Editor in Chief for the Ecological Society of America’s EcoSphere journal, an honorary Fellow at the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, and serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability around the world. In 2021, he was appointed to the Advisory Council and Board for the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize, awarded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to encourage technological innovations that advance its mission.
Previously, Dr. Joppa was Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Scientist in Microsoft Research. As part of his work he founded Microsoft’s AI for Earth program—a $50 million cross-company effort dedicated to delivering technology-enabled solutions to global environmental challenges. Dr. Joppa remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to artificial intelligence, environmental science, and sustainability. Along with his Ph.D., Dr. Joppa holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.
Recognized by Fortune magazine in its “40 Under 40” list, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. He is recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers, is an Associate Editor in Chief for the Ecological Society of America’s EcoSphere journal, an honorary Fellow at the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, and serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability around the world. In 2021, he was appointed to the Advisory Council and Board for the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize, awarded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to encourage technological innovations that advance its mission.
Previously, Dr. Joppa was Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Scientist in Microsoft Research. As part of his work he founded Microsoft’s AI for Earth program—a $50 million cross-company effort dedicated to delivering technology-enabled solutions to global environmental challenges. Dr. Joppa remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to artificial intelligence, environmental science, and sustainability. Along with his Ph.D., Dr. Joppa holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.
