In Memoriam

In Memoriam

Lisa Goddard, former Director of the Columbia University International Research Institute for Climate and Society, passed away on January 13. We take this opportunity to share and honor her many impactful contributions to the US CLIVAR Program. Lisa served as the chair of the Scientific Steering Committee from 2011-2013, leading the development of the program’s Science Plan, with updated goals and new research challenges that provided the foundation for and have continuously guided the directions of US CLIVAR for the past eight years. She previously served on and co-chaired the Predictability, Predictions, and Applications Interface Panel, where among many accomplishments, she led the scoping and implementation of the Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise (PACE) through UCAR to train a new generation of scientists capable of applying climate understanding to practical decision-making across sectors. In co-chairing the Working Group on Decadal Predictability, Lisa helped lead the community effort to define a framework for distinguishing natural from anthropogenic-forced variability and to design and implement metrics for assessing then nascent decadal climate predictions. As she completed her appointment with US CLIVAR, she joined and co-chaired the international CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group, where she helped improve the alignment and coordination of the US and international programs. As a visionary leader, Lisa demonstrated a tireless dedication to community service, advancing the science of climate variability and predictability, connecting science to address societal needs, training and mentoring to build capacity, advocating for diversity and inclusion, and creating opportunities for early career professionals. At this time of sorrow and reflection, we express our deep gratitude for the honor of knowing and working with a truly wonderful scientist, mentor, colleague, and friend.