Michael E. Mann, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. He was a Lead Author on the "Observed Climate Variability and Change" chapter of the IPCC Third Scientific Assessment Report. He is the current organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences' "Frontiers of Science," and he has served as editor for the Journal of Climate for three years.

Dr. Mann's research focuses on applying statistical techniques to understanding climate variability and climate change from empirical and climate model-based perspectives. A specific area of current research is paleoclimate data synthesis and statistically-based climate pattern reconstruction during past centuries, using "proxy" data such as tree-rings, ice cores, and corals. His other areas of active research address natural climate variability, climate model/data intercomparison, and long-range climate forecasting.

Mann received his undergraduate degrees in physics and applied math from the University of California at Berkeley, an MS in physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from Yale. The author of more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters, he has received numerous fellowships and prizes, including selection as one of 50 leading visionaries in science and technology by Scientific American magazine, the outstanding scientific publication award for the year 2000 by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration for 2000, and recognition by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) for notable citation by peers of his refereed scientific research. Mann has testified before the U.S. Senate on matters involving the science of climate change, and his research has been widely described in major print and broadcast media.