Eric K. Chu, PhD, is Director of Science Services at CCST. In this role, he provides strategic direction, oversight, and coordination for the organization’s delivery of science services. He also oversees the development of CCST’s science programs through collaborating with research institutions, public agencies, and the private sector to further California’s interests related to science and technology policy. Eric has 15 years of experience leading strategic programs and building research partnerships at the science-policy interface. He has particular interest in leveraging science to inform innovative and impactful actions at the nexus of infrastructure planning, environmental justice, and climate change resilience.
Prior to CCST, Eric was a Senior Planner in the California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly Governor’s Office of Planning and Research) and a tenured Associate Professor in Community and Regional Development at UC Davis, where he retains a courtesy adjunct appointment. Between 2019 and 2023, Eric served as Co-Director of the UC Davis Climate Adaptation Research Center, a university-wide effort to further climate research, engagement, and professional development of the next generation of science leaders in California. Earlier in his career, he held research and teaching positions in the Netherlands and UK.
Eric has played an active role in providing science leadership to further climate change action across national and international levels. He currently participates as an author in the Sixth National Climate Assessment and First National Nature Assessment. Previously, he was lead author in the Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023) and the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (2022). Eric received a PhD in environmental policy and planning from MIT, dual master’s degrees in urban planning and environmental policy from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in natural resources from Cornell University.