Marcus Sarofim: Fueling a Passion for Climate Science

Published September 16, 2026 | Request Information

Marcus Sarofim has spent a lifetime living up to his name.

In fact, “saraph,” the root of Sarofim means “fire” – an especially apt connection for a scientist whose career has been fueled by a desire to understand a warming planet and provide sometimes fiery commentary on how to protect it.

Since making his first presentation on sea-level rise to his ninth-grade classmates, Sarofim has followed his passion for climate science to MIT, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Johns Hopkins University where he is a lecturer in the MS in Energy Policy and Climate program.

“I love, love, love science,” Sarofim said,” I have always loved science fiction, mental puzzles, and board games. I love learning why things happen and how they happen and, ideally, how we can help fix them.”

At MIT, he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and, then later, a PhD in Engineering Systems. There he also found a community of people with whom he could “nerd out about science.”

He worked in laboratories during the summers and explored the university’s wide-ranging scientific offerings, becoming increasingly fascinated with more than just how the climate works, but by the challenge of translating scientific knowledge into effective policy. He also joined a Shakespeare ensemble, which helped him become more comfortable presenting in front of audiences – a skill that has served him well throughout his career.

The interdisciplinary curiosity ultimately led him to the EPA, where he spent 17 years in his “unicorn job,” working at the intersection of climate science and public policy.

“I really loved the job,” he said. “I had the rare opportunity to keep doing the science I loved, publish research, communicate with the public, and help shape meaningful policies.”

Among his most significant accomplishments was contributing to the landmark 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which established that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. Sarofim collaborated on the original finding and later helped defend it for more than 15 years.

“It mattered deeply and was heard around the world,” he said. “It is probably the most important thing that I’ve done.”

He also worked on climate assessment, greenhouse gas regulations, climate communications, and indicators, providing policymakers with expertise on climate metrics and impacts.

Today, as a senior research scientist at New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management and an independent climate science and policy analyst, Sarofim continues to explore how climate science can inform decisions affecting public health, infrastructure, and the environment.

He uses modeling tools to examine questions such as how the air quality from wildfire smoke could change under different policies, how sea-level rise could affect coastal transportation, and how extreme heat and changing freeze-thaw cycles could impact roads.

And at Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs division, he gets to do something else he has always wanted to do: teach.

His course, Climate Change Policy Analysis, is offered in-person at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center and allows him to bring his experience in science, economics, and government into the classroom – without the Shakespearean stage, but with some dramatic flair, nonetheless.

“How do you define effective policy? How do you weigh costs and benefits?” he said. “How do we use this understanding of science, economics, and policy to make the world a better place?”

His teaching also gives students a front-row seat to the complexity of climate policy – and to the progress that can be easy to overlook. For example, in a 2008 paper, Sarofim estimated that the best estimate for global warming by the end of the century was approximately five degrees Celsius. In his more recent research, that estimate is closer to three degrees.

“Three degrees is still serious,” he said. “But it is a lot better than five. There is room for hope. We’ve made real progress – we just need to keep on working for the future.”

That perspective is one of Sarofim’s greatest assets as a teacher.

His Johns Hopkins students bring experience from government agencies, nonprofits, the energy and fishing industries, and the field of economics. Sarofim encourages them to bring that expertise into the classroom and to learn from one another.

His efforts earned him his program’s 2026 Excellence in Teaching award, after students routinely praised his practical knowledge, clear lectures, and ability to make complex policy issues accessible.

“Every year, I am blown away by the passion, intelligence, and hard work of my students,” he said. “The great thing about teaching master’s students is that they know how to learn – and they want to learn. I give them something interesting, and they run with it.

“I get an endorphin hit when a student understands something I’m teaching and enjoys it,” he continued. “They are extraordinary people who have done, are doing – and will do – important work. I see my job as facilitating that.”

After more than two decades working on climate science and policy, Sarofim remains fascinated by the questions that first drew him to the field – and by the next generation of scientists and policymakers asking them.

The challenges are significant, but the work remains energizing.

“When you work in this field, there can be a lot of doom and gloom,” he said. “It is always hard when you are looking at how many people will die because of the alterations to ozone levels due to methane or the ecosystems we will lose because of climate change. But this should be tempered with the fact that, over time, the outlooks have actually gotten better.

“A lot of our quality of life comes from energy and improving the human condition requires it,” he continued. “We need to think about the big picture – reducing emissions, improving efficiency, and developing clean energy technologies. Enacting good climate policy is the key to allowing the United States to better compete, and ultimately lead, on the world’s stage.”