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| Maisa Rojas | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maisa Rojas |
| Birth date | 1974 |
| Birth place | Santiago, Chile |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Fields | Climatology, Atmospheric Science, Paleoclimatology |
| Institutions | University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Chile, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge, University of Oxford |
| Known for | Climate change research, climate policy, public communication |
Maisa Rojas is a Chilean climate scientist, academic and public official known for her work on paleoclimate, climate modeling and climate policy. She has held positions at major research and academic institutions and served in national government roles, combining scientific research with public communication and policy implementation. Her career spans academic research, participation in international scientific assessments, and leadership in environmental policy in Chile.
Born in Santiago, Chile, she completed early studies in local schools before pursuing higher education abroad, earning a doctorate in climate science from the University of Cambridge and postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford. During her doctoral and postdoctoral periods she worked with research groups focused on paleoclimatology, instrumental climate records and climate modeling, collaborating with scientists from institutions such as the Met Office Hadley Centre, the British Antarctic Survey and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Her training combined fieldwork in the Southern Hemisphere, statistical analysis, and the development of climate model experiments used by international assessments such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Her academic career includes faculty and research roles at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge before returning to Chile to join the University of Chile and engage with research centers, scientific networks and national observatories. Her research covers paleoclimate reconstructions, Southern Hemisphere climate variability, glacier and ice-core records, and climate model evaluation, contributing to literature alongside authors from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. She has co-authored studies involving proxies such as tree rings, ice cores and marine sediments and worked on attribution studies using models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project and frameworks used by the World Climate Research Programme. Her publication record includes peer-reviewed articles in journals commonly associated with the American Geophysical Union, the European Geosciences Union and other scientific societies.
Transitioning from academia to public service, she assumed advisory and leadership roles in Chilean environmental and climate institutions, collaborating with ministries, regional bodies and international organizations such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Environment Programme. Appointed to a ministerial position in the Chilean cabinet during a presidential administration, she worked with cabinet members from parties and coalitions represented in the Chilean Congress and engaged with multilateral forums including the United Nations climate conferences, coordinating with delegations from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, United States, China and members of the European Union. Her political role required interfacing with stakeholders including indigenous groups, municipal authorities, national research institutes and nongovernmental organizations like Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund.
As minister, she led initiatives on national climate mitigation, adaptation planning, emissions inventories and regulatory frameworks, working with agencies such as the Ministry of Energy (Chile), the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (Chile), and the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF). Policy priorities included implementation of nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, strengthening environmental impact assessment processes, promoting renewable energy deployment linked to projects by companies like Enel Chile and engaging with international finance mechanisms including the Green Climate Fund and bilateral partners such as the Inter-American Development Bank. She advanced measures related to glacier protection, coastal resilience for regions facing sea level rise, and strategies to reduce emissions from sectors including mining and transport, coordinating with research centers, municipalities and cross-border initiatives in the Andes and southern archipelagos.
Known for public communication, she frequently participated in national and international media, scientific outreach and public forums, engaging with broadcasters, newspapers and digital platforms to explain climate science and policy to audiences that included representatives of the Chilean Congress, local governments and civil society organizations. She collaborated with universities, museums and science communication networks, participating in events alongside figures from institutions such as the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Andes Foundation and international conferences like the Conference of the Parties. Her media presence included interviews, opinion pieces and appearances aimed at bridging scientific findings from institutions like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with policy discussions involving stakeholders from the private sector and civil society.
Her scientific and public service contributions have been recognized by academic institutions, scientific societies and national honors, reflecting collaborations with entities such as the Academia Chilena de Ciencias, the Royal Society and regional research consortia. She has been invited as a keynote speaker at conferences organized by the American Meteorological Society, the European Geosciences Union and other professional associations, and has received awards and fellowships that acknowledge work in climate science, public policy and science communication.
Category:Chilean scientists Category:Climatologists