Lynn Heller conducts strategic climate policy research and analysis in support of Permafrost Pathways’ policy strategy. She engages government and tribal officials, local organizations, Indigenous communities, and Arctic-focused initiatives and organizations around the impacts of permafrost thaw and is motivated by the urgent need to address the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.
Heller appreciates the interdisciplinary nature of climate research and is interested in how the nexus of natural science data, economic research, and policy analysis can contribute to more innovative, holistic, and evidence-based environmental decision-making for climate solutions. She hopes to collaborate across fields to help shape sustainable and equitable policies that will make a meaningful impact on the climate crisis, especially community-based solutions.
Heller has a background in international climate mitigation and adaptation policy, starting by earning her B.S. in Marine Science-Biology from the University of Tampa and her M.A. in Global Environmental Policy from American University School of International Service. She then worked as a research consultant for the Environmental Integrity Project, deploying and analyzing air-quality monitors to research the health impacts and disparities of air pollution in urban communities with environmental justice concerns. Before joining Woodwell Climate, Heller was a Policy and Research Assistant at AJW Inc., tracking and analyzing legislative and regulatory policy, and developing guidance memos and presentations to support innovative decarbonization technologies. In that role, she also collaborated with industry experts to write a report on greenhouse gas measurement and monitoring technologies and standards, which she presented at the 2023 Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) senior officials meeting.
