2035 Initiative Staff

Lucas is the Executive Director of The 2035 Initiative. He works with world-leading UCSB faculty and staff to accelerate the clean energy transition and develop equitable solutions to the climate crisis. Previously, he worked with the advocacy group Evergreen Action and held several leadership roles in environmental education. Lucas has a Masters of Environmental Science and Management from UCSB’s Bren School and a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of San Diego.

Christin is the Communications & Outreach Coordinator for The 2035 Initiative and is responsible for overseeing the Initiative's public-facing policy and research outputs, manages media relations for the Initiative, and coordinates with external partners and stakeholders. Additionally, she provides production support for the podcast A Matter of Degrees. Christin has a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management and a B.A. in Biology from UCSB.

Emma is a Research Associate at The 2035 Initiative. She collaborates closely with UCSB faculty and staff, leveraging intricate data sets to inform climate and energy policies. Utilizing a range of tools, from survey design to data visualization, Emma addresses an array of climate and energy challenges on both local and global scales. Emma holds a degree in Political Science from UCSB with a minor in Statistics.

Eleanor is a Research Assistant at The 2035 Initiative. She supports faculty research on industrial decarbonization policy and works with staff to develop policy materials. Eleanor has experience in zero-emission transportation technology and using remote sensing to detect illegal fishing. She holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech and is presently pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management from UCSB’s Bren School.

Sofia is a Research Assistant for The 2035 Initiative. She is supporting a wide scope of data-driven projects. Her primary focus is increasing marginalized communities' representation in climate advocacy. She is devoted to bridging the communication gap between the public, scientists, and policymakers by delivering data in an accessible way. Sofia has experience with creative strategizing and carries a hefty toolbox of analytical techniques. She is expected to receive her Masters in Environmental Data Science from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management in June of 2024.

Izzy is a Research Assistant at the 2035 Initiative, supporting the Initiative's climate adaptation work. Her time working with natural resources stakeholder engagement and personal experiences with wildfires and drought inspired her return to higher education and interest in learning how to improve community climate adaptation, develop scalable policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and implement carbon-free practices. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2020) with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in English. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.

Jenna is a Research Assistant at The 2035 Initiative, supporting science communications and faculty research in industrial decarbonization. With particular interest in advancing social equity considerations in her work, she aims to advance climate solutions and accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels. She holds a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley, and is presently pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management at UCSB’s Bren School.

Dash is a Research Assistant at The 2035 Initiative. He supports faculty research on the relationship between party identification and positions on climate change, the carbon offsets market, and the development of policy materials. Dash is a second-year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor’s in both Political Science and Statistics and Data Science from UCSB's College of Letters of Science.

Sury is a Research Assistant at The 2035 Initiative and supports faculty research on corporate climate disclosure and works with staff on data collection and organization as well as database management. He has experience working on policy and economic analysis for data collection in Pacific fisheries. Sury is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing degrees in Economics and Statistics & Data Science with a minor in Earth Sciences.

Liana is a Media and Design Assistant at The 2035 Initiative. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Art at UCSB. After completing her undergraduate education, she is looking to enter the creative industry with her experience in visual design. Liana works with the 2035 Initiative staff to establish and implement branding guidelines alongside revamping existing visual assets.