Sarah Kapnick

Sarah Kapnick
4th NOAA Chief Scientist
In office
April 2022 – October 2024
Appointed byPresident Joe Biden
PrecedingSteven Thur
Preceded byCraig McLean
Personal details
BornMay 1982 (age 44)
Winnetka, Illinois
SpouseAndrew Christopher Elken
EducationPh.D. UCLA 2011
M.S. UCLA 2007
A.B. Princeton
Source:

Sarah Kapnick is an American scientist, political advisor, and financial executive.

She was appointed by President Biden to serve as the fourth chief scientist of NOAA from April 2022 to October 2024, and is presently the inaugural Global Head of Climate Advisory at JP Morgan Chase.

Education

Kapnick has a Master's of Sciences (2007) in atmospheric sciences and a Ph.D. (2011) in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an A.B. in mathematics and finance (2004) from Princeton University.

Career

Kapnick was an investment banking analyst for Goldman Sachs starting in 2004 focusing on financial growth and climate change.

Kapnick's first job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was in NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) as the deputy division leader for seasonal to decadal variability researching climate predictions, water security and climate impacts from 2011 to 2021. She then worked at JP Morgan Chase as their senior climate scientist and sustainability strategist from 2021 to 2022. In 2022, Kapnick was appointed the NOAA chief scientist by President Biden.

In 2024, JPMorgan Chase hired her as their Global Head of Climate Advisory.

References

  1. ↑ "JPMorgan rehires scientist Sarah Kapnick in climate push, memo shows". Reuters. October 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Climate Advisory | J.P. Morgan". www.jpmorgan.com. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
  3. ↑ "SARAH B. KAPNICK, C.V." (PDF). NOAA. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Sarah Kapnick, M.S. '07, Ph.D. '11". UCLA Alumni. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  5. 1 2 "Summer 2025: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Elects New Trustee, Dr. Sarah Kapnick, Ph.D." Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  6. 1 2 Olick, Diana (2025-05-31). "JPMorgan hired NOAA's chief scientist to advise clients on navigating climate change". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  7. ↑ "Sarah Kapnick named NOAA chief scientist – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory". www.gfdl.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  8. ↑ Segal, Mark (2024-10-21). "JPMorgan Appoints NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick as Global Head of Climate Advisory". ESG Today. Retrieved 2025-10-09.