Gavin Schmidt is the new formerly deputy director of the NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
Schmidt has been so far the deputy director of the Earth Climate research laboratory and takes over James Hansen, retired last year after a long time leading position in the Institute, to open a separate climate science and advocacy center at the Earth Institute.

The choice for the new GISS's direction role comes during one of the most critical time for the US and the world, as explained by NASA's chief scientist Ellen Stofan: "Gavin is a highly respected climate scientist who already also has proven himself as a terrific leader. He's the perfect candidate to continue leading this vital research institute".
Schmidt, a mathematic with bachelor's degree at Harvard University and a doctorate at University College London and a climate modeling veteran, joined GISS in 1996 with a focus on developing simulations for past, present and future climates. He also worked to build computer models for ocean, atmosphere and land processes integration and compared the results with paleoclimatic data. He's the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and the coauthor of the book Climate Change: Picturing the Science (W.W. Norton, 2009), a collaboration between climate scientists and photographers. In 2011 he was awarded with the American Geophysical union Climate Communications Prize.
He frequently appears on the mass media to discuss climate.

"It’s an honor to lead the team of talented scientists at GISS," he said. "The work being done here has implications for societies across the planet, and I will strive to make that research as valuable as possible."