Sally Benson

Precourt Family Professor of Energy Science Engineering, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy and Woods Institute for the Environment

Ambassador

Sally M. Benson is a distinguished leader in the field of energy science and engineering, holding the position of Precourt Family Professor within the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. With a rich history of accomplishments at the forefront of energy research and sustainability, she served as a catalyst for cross-campus collaborations. Her groundbreaking work on carbon capture and storage as well as in net energy analyses for wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, and renewable energy storage has shaped the discourse in the field.

From 2007 to 2017, she lead Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project, a pioneering industry-academic partnership to spur game changing solutions for deeply reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Benson was also director and co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy from 2013 to 2020, and co-director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage. She served as a Senior Fellow at both Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy and the Woods Institute for the Environment.

Notably, her impact extends beyond academia. President Joe Biden appointed her to a key position in the White House's Office of Science & Technology Policy. While on leave from Stanford, Benson served as Director of the Energy Division and Chief Strategist for the energy transition from 2021 to 2023.

Her contributions to climate science are exemplified by her role as a coordinating lead author of a special report on carbon capture and storage published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2005. In 2007, she was one of thousands of IPCC scientists to share the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to inform the public on the science of climate change.

Benson has testified before the U.S. Congress on climate-change technology and CO2 sequestration, and advised national laboratories, academic initiatives, and global climate forums. She is an active member of Breakthrough Energy's Innovation Council and has served on the boards of Climate Central and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.                                                                                                                             

Benson's accolades include the 2012 Greenman Award, the ARCS 2009 American Pacesetter Award, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reflecting her enduring commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions and combating climate change.

Benson holds a BS in Geology from Barnard College at Columbia University, and an MS and PhD in Materials Science and Mineral Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.