Naomi Oreskes

Naomi Oreskes
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Name	Naomi Oreskes
Birth date	1958
Birth place	Bethesda, Maryland
Occupation	Historian of science, professor, author
Alma mater	Stanford University, University of California, San Diego
Known for	Work on scientific consensus, climate science history, epistemology of science

Naomi Oreskes is a historian of science and professor known for work on the history and philosophy of earth sciences, the sociology of scientific consensus, and the public controversies surrounding climate change, ozone depletion, and tobacco litigation. She has held academic appointments and engaged widely with policymakers, journalists, and the public through books, essays, and media appearances that bridge Harvard University, University of California, San Diego, and other institutions. Her scholarship often intersects with debates involving Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Academy of Sciences, and major scientific journals such as Science (journal) and Nature (journal).

Early life and education

Oreskes was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in a family with ties to science and public service, with relatives involved in institutions such as Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University. She completed undergraduate studies at Stanford University where she studied subjects linked to history and earth sciences before pursuing graduate work at the University of California, San Diego under advisors connected to histories of geology and oceanography. Her doctoral dissertation examined themes related to the development of earth sciences, drawing on archives from organizations including the United States Geological Survey and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Academic career and positions

Oreskes has held faculty positions at institutions such as the University of California, San Diego and Harvard University, where she served in departments connected to the history of science and environmental studies. She has been affiliated with research centers including the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole. Her visiting appointments and fellowships include associations with the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reflecting an interdisciplinary profile that spans history, philosophy, and public policy.

Research and scholarship

Oreskes' research analyzes the history and epistemology of the earth sciences, focusing on episodes such as the scientific responses to climate change, the discovery and policy response to ozone depletion and the science contested in tobacco litigation. She is known for empirical studies of scientific literature and consensus-building processes, engaging with methods employed by scholars at MIT, Princeton University, Yale University, and Columbia University. Her work critiques and explicates the role of peer review, citation networks, and expert assessment in institutions like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She has collaborated with economists, philosophers, and legal scholars from Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and the University of Chicago to explore the implications of uncertainty, risk assessment, and policy decision-making in environmental controversies. Her analyses have been discussed alongside the writings of historians and philosophers including Thomas Kuhn, Bruno Latour, Ludwik Fleck, and Eugene Garfield.

Public engagement and media work

Oreskes has been an active public intellectual, contributing op-eds, essays, and interviews to mainstream outlets and participating in documentary films and podcast series that address climate change, scientific integrity, and misinformation. She has engaged with media organizations such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, and PBS and testified in forums involving members of United States Congress committees and international bodies. Her collaborations with filmmakers, journalists, and activists link her to projects involving figures from 350.org, Greenpeace, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Oreskes has also participated in discussions with journalists and scientists associated with The Guardian, The Atlantic, and Scientific American to clarify scientific consensus and contested public narratives.

Awards and honors

Oreskes has received recognition from academic and professional organizations including fellowships and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences (honorary engagements), and prizes from history of science societies such as the History of Science Society. She has been awarded grants from funders including the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation (fellowship-type awards for scholars broadly), and received honors from institutions like Harvard University and University of California campuses for contributions to scholarship and public engagement.

Selected publications

- "Merchants of Doubt" (coauthored), a book examining the strategies of scientific contrarianism that engaged debates involving tobacco litigation, acid rain, ozone depletion, and climate change. - Monographs and essays on the history of geology and oceanography published in journals such as Science (journal), Nature (journal), and publications of the American Historical Review. - Collaborative articles on scientific consensus assessment and literature surveys cited in policy reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and reviews in outlets like Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - Public essays and opinion pieces in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and long-form contributions to journals associated with Harvard University Press and Oxford University Press.

Category:Historians of science Category:Environmental writers