View source for Biography:John Holdren

{{Infobox Officeholder
|name         = John Holdren
|image        = John Holdren at commercial human spaceflight press conference (201002020002HQ).jpg
|title1       = Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
|order1       = 9th
|president1   = [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
|term_start1  = March 19, 2009
|term_end1    = January 20, 2017
|predecessor1 = [[Biography:John Marburger|John Marburger]]
|successor1   = Kelvin Droegemeier ''(nominee)''
|title2       = Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
|order2       = 
|term_start2  = January, 2009
|term_end2    = January, 2017
|president2   = [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
|predecessor2 = [[Biography:John Marburger|John Marburger]]
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1944|3|1}}
|birth_place  = Sewickley, Pennsylvania, {{wipe|United States}}
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = Democratic
|education    = [[Organization:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of<br>Technology]] {{small|(BS)}}<br>[[Organization:Stanford University|Stanford University]] {{small|(MS, [[Social:Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])}}
|module       = 
  {{Infobox scientist | embed=yes
  | fields            = [[Physics:Physics|Physics]], [[Environmental science]]
  | workplaces        = {{ublist|[[Organization:Harvard University|Harvard University]]|[[Organization:University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley]]}}
  | alma_mater        = 
  | thesis_title      = Collisionless stability of an inhomogeneous, confined, planar plasma
  | thesis_url        = https://search.proquest.com/docview/302557782/
  | thesis_year       = 1970
  | doctoral_advisor  = [[Biography:Oscar Buneman|Oscar Buneman]]
  | academic_advisors = 
  | doctoral_students = 
  | notable_students  = 
  | known_for         = 
  | influences        = 
  | influenced        = 
  | awards            = 
  }}
}}
'''John Paul Holdren''' (Sewickley, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1944) is an American scientist. He served as the senior advisor to President [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]] on science and technology issues through his roles as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).<ref name="profile">
{{cite web |title= Profile: John Holdren: Why He Matters |url=http://whorunsgov.com/Profiles/John_Holdren |publisher=WhoRunsGov.com, A Washington Post Co Pub. |accessdate=July 24, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720075807/http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/John_Holdren |archivedate=July 20, 2009 |deadurl=yes }}</ref><ref name="sciencewhitehouse">{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Holdren | first1 = J. P. 
| title = Science in the White House 
| doi = 10.1126/science.1174783 
| journal = Science 
| volume = 324 
| issue = 5927 
| pages = 567 
| year = 2009 
| pmid = 19407163 
| pmc = 
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Mervis | first1 = J. 
| title = NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: John Holdren Brings More Than Energy to His Role as Science Adviser 
| doi = 10.1126/science.324.5925.324 
| journal = Science 
| volume = 324 
| issue = 5925 
| pages = 324–325 
| year = 2009 
| pmid = 19372403 
| pmc = 
| bibcode = 2009Sci...324..324M 
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Mervis | first1 = J. 
| title = OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: No News is Good News for Holdren, Lubchenco at Confirmation Hearing 
| doi = 10.1126/science.323.5917.995 
| journal = Science 
| volume = 323 
| issue = 5917 
| pages = 995 
| year = 2009 
| pmid = 19229004 
| pmc = 
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Tollefson | first1 = J. 
| title = John Holdren: Adviser on science, fish and wine 
| doi = 10.1038/457942b 
| journal = Nature 
| volume = 457 
| issue = 7232 
| pages = 942–943 
| year = 2009 
| pmid = 19225485 
| pmc = 
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Kintisch | first1 = E. 
| last2 = Mervis | first2 = J. 
| doi = 10.1126/science.323.5910.22 
| title = THE TRANSITION: Holdren Named Science Adviser, Varmus, Lander to Co-Chair PCAST 
| journal = Science 
| volume = 323 
| issue = 5910 
| pages = 22–23 
| year = 2009 
| pmid = 19119188 
| pmc = 
}}</ref>

Holdren was previously the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at [[Organization:Harvard University|Harvard University]],<ref name="scopus">{{Scopus|id=7004010723}}</ref> director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program at the School's [[Organization:Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs|Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs]], and Director of the [[Organization:Woods Hole Research Center|Woods Hole Research Center]].<ref name="newsrelease">News release. [http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/1218holdren.shtml "Obama to Name John P. Holdren as Science Adviser"] AAAS, December 18, 2008.</ref>

==Early life and education==
Holdren was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and grew up in San Mateo, California.<ref name=belfer>{{cite web|url=http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18738/harvard_kennedy_schools_john_p_holdren_named_obamas_science_advisor.html?breadcrumb=%252Ftopic%252F64%252Fscience_and_technology%253Fpage%253D4|title=Harvard Kennedy School's John P. Holdren Named Obama's Science Advisor|last=Wilke|first=Sharon|author2=Sasha Talcott|date=20 December 2008|work=Press release|publisher=Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs|accessdate=2009-10-20}}</ref> He trained in [[Earth:Aeronautics|aeronautics]], [[Earth:Astronautics|astronautics]] and [[Physics:Plasma|plasma physics]] and earned a bachelor's degree from the [[Organization:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in 1965 and a [[Ph.D.]] from [[Organization:Stanford University|Stanford University]] in 1970 supervised by [[Biography:Oscar Buneman|Oscar Buneman]].<ref name="phd">{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=John Paul |last=Holdren |title=Collisionless Stability of an Inhomogeneous, Confied, Planar Plasma |publisher=Stanford University |date=1970 |url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/302557782 |via=ProQuest |subscription=yes |oclc=25848776}}</ref><ref name="mathgene">{{MathGenealogy|id=166241}}</ref>

==Career==
Holdren taught at Harvard for 13 years and at the [[Organization:University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley]] for more than two decades.<ref name="profile" /> His work has focused on the causes and consequences of global [[Earth:Environmental change|environmental change]], population control, energy technologies and [[Earth:Energy policy|policies]], ways to reduce the dangers from nuclear weapons and materials, and science and [[Finance:Technology policy|technology policy]].<ref name="profile"/><ref name="newsrelease"/> He has also taken measures to contextualize the United State's current energy challenge, noting the role that nuclear energy could play.<ref>{{cite web |first=Amy |last=Marcott |title=Science Advisor John Holdren ’65, SM ’66 Contextualizes Energy Challenge |url=http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2010/10/26/science-advisor-john-holdren-%e2%80%9965-sm-%e2%80%9966-contextualizes-energy-challenge/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201095534/http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2010/10/26/johnholdren/ |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |work=Slice of MIT |date=October 26, 2010 |accessdate=February 18, 2018}}</ref>

Holdren was involved in the famous Simon–Ehrlich wager in 1980. He, along with two other scientists helped [[Biography:Paul R. Ehrlich|Paul R. Ehrlich]] establish the bet with Julian Simon, in which they bet that the price of five key metals would be higher in 1990. The bet was centered around a disagreement concerning the future scarcity of resources in an increasingly polluted and heavily populated world. Ehrlich and Holdren lost the bet, when the price of metals had decreased by 1990.<ref>{{cite book |title=Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail – and Why We Believe Them Anyway |author=Dan Gardner |publisher=McClelland and Stewart |year=2010 |location=Toronto |page=232}}</ref>

Holdren was chair of the Executive Committee of the [[Social:Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs|Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs]] from 1987 until 1997 and delivered the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance lecture on behalf of Pugwash Conferences in December 1995. From 1993 until 2003, he was chair of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academy of Sciences, and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan National Committee on Energy Policy from 2002 until 2007. Holdren was elected President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2006–2007), and served as board Chairman (2007–2008).<ref name="newsrelease"/> He was the founding chair of the advisory board for ''Innovations'', a quarterly journal about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges published by MIT Press, and has written and lectured extensively on the topic of [[Earth:Global warming|global warming]].

Holdren served as one of President Bill Clinton's science advisors (PCAST) from 1994 to 2001.<ref name="profile" /> Eight years later, President Barack Obama nominated Holdren for the position of science advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in December 2008, and he was confirmed on March 19, 2009, by a unanimous vote in the Senate.<ref>Staff and news service reports. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29795769/ "Obama's science adviser starts job"], "msnbc.com", March 20, 2009.</ref><ref name=loc>Library of Congress [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas], Nomination PN65-07-111, confirmed by Senate voice vote.</ref><ref name=congrec>[http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/PDFgate.cgi?WAISdocID=701774409966+3+2+0&WAISaction=retrieve Nominations considered and confirmed en bloc]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Congressional Record, March 19, 2009 S3577-S3578.</ref><ref>Koenig, Robert. [http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/holdren_vows_to_maintain_the_integrity_of_science_in_policy_making/ "President Barack Obama's Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Faces Limited Criticism at Confirmation Hearings"], Seed Magazine, February 13, 2009.</ref> He testified to the nomination committee that he does not believe that government should have a role in determining optimal population size<ref>Video.[http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=9ba25fea-5f68-4211-a181-79ff35a3c6c6] Senate Confirmation Hearing, February 12, 2009.</ref> and that he never endorsed forced sterilization.<ref>Pratt, Andrew Plemmons [http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/07/right-wing-attacks-on-science-adviser-continue/ "Right-wing Attacks on Science Adviser Continue"], Science Progress, July 21, 2009</ref><ref name="holdoff">Mooney, Chris.[http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/07/hold-of-holdren-again/ "Hold off on Holdren (again)"], "Science Progress", July 2009.</ref><ref name=Goldberg>Goldberg, Michelle. [http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=holdrens_controversial_population_control_past  "Holdren's Controversial Population Control Past"], The American Prospect, July 21, 2009, accessed July 30, 2009.</ref>

===Publications===
[[Unsolved:Human overpopulation|Overpopulation]] was an early concern and interest. In a 1969 article, Holdren and co-author [[Biography:Paul R. Ehrlich|Paul R. Ehrlich]] argued, "if the population control measures are not initiated immediately, and effectively, all the technology man can bring to bear will not fend off the misery to come."<ref name="PopulationsPanaceas">Paul R. Erlich and John P. Holdren. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1294858 "Population and Panaceas A Technological Perspective"], ''Bioscience'', Vol 19, pages 1065-1071, 1969.</ref> In 1973, Holdren encouraged a decline in fertility to well below replacement in the United States, because "210 million now is too many and 280 million in 2040 is likely to be much too many."<ref name="PopulationsPredicament">{{Cite journal | url = https://books.google.com/?id=7jjp9bv0qNYC&dq=no+growth+society&printsec=frontcover#PPA31,M1 | journal = Daedalus, the No-Growth Society | year = 1973 | title = Population and the American Predicament: The Case Against Complacency | first = John P. | isbn = 978-0-7130-0136-5 | last = Holdren | pages = 31&ndash;44}}</ref> In 1977, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Holdren co-authored the textbook ''Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment''.
Other early publications include ''Energy'' (1971), ''Human Ecology'' (1973), ''Energy in Transition'' (1980), ''Earth and the Human Future'' (1986), ''Strategic Defenses and the Future of the Arms Race'' (1987), ''Building Global Security Through Cooperation (1990)'', and ''Conversion of Military R&D'' (1998).<ref name="cv"/>

Holdren is the author of over 200 articles and papers, and he has co-authored and co-edited some 20 books and book-length reports, including:<ref name="cv">{{cite web |url=http://www.whrc.org/about_us/whos_who/CV/jholdren.htm |title=John P. Holdren's CV |publisher=The Woods Hole Research Center |accessdate=July 5, 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417200634/http://www.whrc.org/about_us/whos_who/cv/jholdren.htm |archivedate=April 17, 2010 |deadurl=yes }}</ref>
*''Science in the White House.'' Science, May 2009, 567.<ref name="sciencewhitehouse"/>
*''Policy for Energy Technology Innovation. Acting in Time on Energy Policy'', (with Laura Diaz Anadon, Max H. Bazerman, David T. Ellwood, Kelly Sims Gallagher, William H. Hogan, Henry Lee, and Daniel Schrag), Brookings Institution Press, 2009.
*''The Future of Climate Change Policy: The U.S.'s Last Chance to Lead.'' Scientific American 2008 Earth 3.0 Supplement. October 13, 2008, 20-21.<ref>Holdren, John P.[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-future-of-climate-change-policy "The Future of Climate Change Policy: The U.S.'s Last Chance to Lead"], Scientific American</ref>
*''Convincing the Climate Change Skeptics.'' Boston Globe, August 4, 2008.<ref>Holdren, John P. [http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/08/04/convincing_the_climate_change_skeptics/ "Convincing the Climate Change Skeptics"], the Boston Globe, August 4, 2008.</ref>
*''Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy To Meet America's Energy Challenges.'' Presentation at the National Academies 2008 Energy Summit, Washington, D.C., March 14, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/john-holdren
|title=Faculty page-Harvard University}}</ref>
*''Global Climatic Disruption: Risks and Opportunities.'' Presentation at Investor Summit on Climate Risk, New York, February 14, 2008.<ref>Holdren, John P.[http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/2008_2-14_UN_CERES_rev2.pdf "Global Climatic Disruption: Risks and Opportunities"], Presentation at Investor Summit on Climate Risk, New York, February 14, 2008.</ref>
*''Meeting the Climate-Change Challenge.'' The John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, D.C., January 17, 2008.<ref>Holdren, John P. [http://ncseonline.org/conference/Chafee08final.pdf "Meeting the Climate-Change Challenge."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114121458/http://www.ncseonline.org/Conference/Chafee08final.pdf |date=2009-01-14 }}, The John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, D.C., January 17, 2008.</ref>

==Personal life==
Holdren lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with his wife, biologist Cheryl E. Holdren, with whom he has two children and five grandchildren.<ref name=belfer/>

==Affiliations and awards==
* MacArthur Fellow (1981)<ref name=MacArthur>{{cite web|title=Fellows List: H|url=http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.1142763/k.9419/Fellows_List__H.htm|work=MacArthur Foundation|accessdate=June 3, 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609123255/http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.1142763/k.9419/Fellows_List__H.htm|archivedate=June 9, 2011|df=}}</ref>
* Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1983)<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter H|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterH.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|accessdate=June 3, 2011}}</ref>
* Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1991)<ref name=NAS>{{cite web|title=Holdren, John P.|url=http://www.nasonline.org/site/Dir/2077105229?pg=vprof&mbr=1003343|work=United States National Academy of Sciences|accessdate=June 3, 2011}}</ref>
* Volvo Environment Prize (1993 with Paul Ehrlich)
* Kaul Foundation Award in Science and Environmental Policy (1999)
* Member of the  National Academy of Engineering (2000)<ref name=NAE>{{cite web|title=Dr. John P. Holdren|url=http://www.nae.edu/MembersSection/Directory20412/29195.aspx|work=National Academy of Engineering|accessdate=June 3, 2011}}</ref>
* Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2000)
* 7th Annual Heinz Award in Public Policy (2001)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heinzawards.net/recipients/john-holdren|title=The Heinz Awards :: John Holdren|website=www.heinzawards.net}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/about/leadershipstaff/director Biography] at the Office of Science and Technology Policy
*{{C-SPAN|johnpholdren}}
*{{NYTtopic|people/h/holdren_john_p}}
*{{Worldcat id|lccn-n50-33013}}
* [http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/140/john_p_holdren.html John Holdren] at Harvard Kennedy School's [[Organization:Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs|Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs]]
* [http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/john-holdren Holdren's Faculty page] at [[Organization:Harvard University|Harvard University]]
* [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/319/5862/424 Presidential Address: Science and Technology for Sustainable Well-Being]  in Science 25.January.2008 Vol. 319. no. 5862, pp.&nbsp;424 – 434
* [http://projects.nytimes.com/44th_president/new_team/show/john-holdren The New Team: John P. Holdren], profile at ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}''
* [http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/17661/ John Holdren Speech at the Harvard Kennedy School Forum] "Global Climate Disruption: What do we know? What should we do?"
* [http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/itgg.2006.1.2.3?journalCode=itgg Lead essay for ''Innovations'' journal (Vol. 1, No. 2)] "The Energy Innovation Imperative: Addressing Oil Dependence, Climate Change, and Other 21st Century Energy Challenges"
* [http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/18/3568720/john-holdren-science-house-climate-hearing/ snippets of Holdren answering questions from the House of Representatives]

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{{s-bef|before=[[Biography:John Marburger|John Marburger]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy|years=2009 – 2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Position vacant}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdren, John}}
[[Category:American physicists]]
[[Category:Technology in society]]

{{Sourceattribution|John Holdren|1}}