.jpg)
Jason J. Blackstock
With a unique background in physics, technology and international affairs, Jason J. Blackstock is a leading international policy adviser and scholar on geoengineering and the interface between science and global governance institutions. A professional physicist by trade and graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Jason joined CIGI in 2009 and leads several international research projects that evaluate the scientific, political and global governance implications of climate change.
Background
After earning his Ph.D.in physics (University of Alberta) and starting his career developing nano-scale electronics and sensors at Hewlett-Packard’s lab for quantum science research, Jason left Silicon Valley in 2007 to apply his scientific knowledge to the development of public and international policy. To that end, he attained a master’s degree of public administration (Harvard Kennedy School) and a graduate certificate in international security (Stanford University), before joining CIGI as a fellow in 2009, strategic adviser in 2010 and Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment in 2011.
At CIGI, Jason leads research on a range of energy and environment issues, including: the potential climatic, political and social impact of geoengineering, the global implications of Arctic climate change and international research coordination and governance for sustainable energy systems. Jason is a frequent commentator on a broad range of energy, environment and security issues, and was the program co-chair of CIGI’s 2010 fall conference, Climate of Action, and lead organizer of a CIGI-sponsored event series at COP 15 in Copenhagen, International Governance of Geoengineering Research. He has also provided oral and written testimony to national inquiries and commissions, including the UK Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology (January 2010) and the US National Commission on Energy Policy (February 2010).
In addition to his portfolio at CIGI, Jason contributes to several leading research institutes around the world. He is a visiting research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, a guest lecturer and co-developer of the “Managing a Living Planet” course at the Harvard Kennedy School, and an adjunct assistant professor at the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience at the University of Waterloo. In 2010 Jason was elected an associate fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, and has maintained his professional physicist designation through the Canadian Association of Physicists since 2005.
Jason lives in Waterloo, Ontario, but enjoys returning to his native Alberta for skiing, hiking and mountain climbing.