Nicholas Stern

Nicholas Stern is the IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Head of the India Observatory at the London School of Economics. He held the position of President of the Royal Economics Society from 2018 to 2019 and was President of the British Academy from July 2013 to 2017. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 2014, Stern has significantly contributed to the fields of economics and climate change.

Stern's global influence is reflected in his extensive academic appointments which include roles at Oxford, Warwick, and the LSE in the UK, as well as international stints at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Ecole Polytechnique, and the Collège de France in Paris. His international experience extends to the Indian Statistical Institute in Bangalore and Delhi, and the People’s University of China in Beijing.

In his extensive career, Stern has played pivotal roles in several economic institutions; he served as Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1994 to 1999, and at the World Bank from 2000 to 2003. In the UK government, he was Second Permanent Secretary to Her Majesty’s Treasury from 2003 to 2005, Director of Policy and Research for the Prime Minister’s Commission for Africa from 2004 to 2005, and Head of the Government Economic Service from 2003 to 2007. His leadership in the landmark Stern Review on the economics of climate change from 2005 to 2007 has been especially noted for shaping discussions on environmental policy.

Stern's scholarly output includes over 15 books and 100 articles, with notable publications such as "Growth and Empowerment: Making Development Happen" (2005), "A Blueprint for a Safer Planet" (2009), and "Why Are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change" (2015). His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including being knighted in 2004, appointed a life peer as Baron Stern of Brentford in 2007, and named a Companion of Honour in 2017 for his extensive services to economics, international relations, and climate change efforts. He has also received the Royal Geographical Society Patron’s Medal in 2009, the Asahi Glass Foundation Blue Planet Prize in 2009, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2011.