Patrick is a Co-Director of the Climate and Energy Team at The Breakthrough Institute and is also an adjunct faculty member (lecturer) in the Energy Policy and Climate Program at Johns Hopkins University.

He holds a Ph.D. from Duke University in Earth and Climate Sciences, a Master’s degree from San Jose State University in Meteorology & Climate Science, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

He has conducted research at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University, NASA JPL at Caltech, NASA Langley in Virginia, NASA Goddard in Washington DC, and NOAA’s GFDL at Princeton University.

He has published articles in Nature, PNAS, and Nature Climate Change, as well as many other journals. His research has been highlighted on CNN, in The Washington Post, Newsweek, BBC Radio, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Guardian among other places.