Jennifer Burney

Jennifer Burney

Jennifer Burney, Phd

  • Professor, Earth System Science
  • Professor, Environmental Social Sciences
  • Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Biography

Jennifer Burney is deputy director of the Center on Food Security & the Environment at Stanford University and member of the National Geographic Explorers family. Burney is a physicist by training whose research focuses on simultaneously achieving global food security and mitigating climate change. Her research interests center on the creation, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of technologies that impact human health and welfare. Jen earned her PhD in physics from Stanford. 

publications

Working Papers
November 2025

Climate Resilient School Meals

Author(s)
Climate Resilient School Meals
Working Papers
June 2020

The Changing Risk and Burden of Wildfire in the US

Author(s)
The Changing Risk and Burden of Wildfire in the US

In The News

Jennifer Burney Headshot
News

How one scientist is working to end world hunger and stabilize Earth's climate

Jennifer Burney combines physics, economics, and on-the-ground data to understand how practical, local solutions and better policies can help improve access to food, support farmers, and drive down planet-warming emissions.
How one scientist is working to end world hunger and stabilize Earth's climate
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Q&As

Jennifer Burney named National Geographic Explorer of the Week

Jennifer Burney named National Geographic Explorer of the Week
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News

FSE's Jennifer Burney named 2011 National Geographic Emerging Explorer

FSE's Jennifer Burney named 2011 National Geographic Emerging Explorer