David Lea is a climate scientist and professor of earth science at the University of California, Santa Barbara and teaches at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. A specialist in the paleoclimate, Lea’s work focuses on climatological history, carbon cycles, and ongoing climate change. Lea has been granted fellowships by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAS), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the US Department of State, where he advised chief the United State’s chief UNFCCC negotiator Todd Stern.