Dr. Wil Burns

Visiting Professor, Environmental Policy & Culture Program

Northwestern University

Dr. Wil Burns is a Visiting Professor in the Environmental Policy & Culture program at Northwestern University. Prior to this, he served as the co-founding Director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, and founding Director of the Energy Policy & Climate program at Johns Hopkins University. He has also taught at the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of California-Berkeley. He also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Policy for the state of Wisconsin and worked in the environmental non-profit sector for more than twenty years.

His service work includes previously serving as the Co-Chair of the International Environmental Law Section of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and as President of the Association of Environmental Studies & Sciences. He was the 2019 recipient of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Scholarship and Service in the field. His research agenda includes: climate geoengineering, climate loss and damage, and the effectiveness of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System. He received his Ph.D. in International Law from the University of Wales-Cardiff School of Law and is the author of more than 85 publications.

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