The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth is creating a new Distinguished Fellows Program that will host leaders and key experts in climate and energy on campus to enrich the UChicago community and share knowledge. Through several visits over the course of an academic year, Distinguished Fellows will share perspectives and expertise in a series of lectures, workshops, and public discussions, as well as serve as resources for students, faculty, and staff.

The inaugural cohort of Distinguished Fellows will include economist Hina Rabbani Khar, a Pakistani stateswoman who was the 26th Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Andrew Light, the former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Energy and senior climate advisor and India counsellor at the State Department, and Sue Biniaz, Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate and the lead U.S. climate lawyer for more than 25 years.

“We are thrilled and honored to welcome Hina, Andrew and Sue, who are international leaders on climate change, “As Distinguished Fellows, they will bring exceptional expertise and unique perspectives. Their experience will be an invaluable complement to our mission to ensure societies around the world have the tools and insights to balance the need to confront climate change with continued economic growth and progress. We are looking forward to learning from them and sharing their insights with the larger University of Chicago community.”

Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics; Director, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth

Current Distinguished Fellows

Sue Biniaz

Distinguished Fellow; Former Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, United States

Hina Rabbani Khar

Distinguished Fellow; Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan

Andrew Light

Distinguished Fellow; Former Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy

Past Distinguished Fellows

Kalikesh Deo

EPIC Distinguished Fellow, 2018-2019; Member, India's Parliament Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Gas

John Deutch

EPIC Distinguished Fellow, 2017-2018; Emeritus Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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