14 Facts About Will Steffen

William Lee Steffen was an American-born Australian chemist.

Will Steffen was the executive director of the Australian National University Climate Change Institute and a member of the Australian Climate Commission until its dissolution in September 2013.

Will Steffen was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, on 25 June 1947.

Will Steffen completed a BSc in industrial chemistry from the University of Missouri in 1970.

Will Steffen wrote on adapting land use to climate change, bringing human processes into the modelling and analysis of the Earth system, and the history of and future prospects for the relationship between the natural world and humans.

Will Steffen was prominent advocating along with Paul Crutzen the concept of the Anthropocene, and initiating along with Johan Rockstrom an international debate on planetary boundaries and the "safe operating space" for humanity.

Will Steffen served as science adviser to the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

Will Steffen was a member of the advisory board of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and worked with the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.

Will Steffen was on an advisory panel in Colorado with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Will Steffen was on the Science Advisory Committee of the APEC Climate Centre in Korea.

Will Steffen was honorary professor at the Copenhagen University's Department of Geography and Geology and visiting researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Will Steffen was the chair of the Federal Government's Antarctic Science Advisory Committee, and advised the Australian Government in further roles as scientific adviser to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and as expert adviser to the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.

Will Steffen died from pancreatic cancer in Canberra on 29 January 2023, at age 75.

Will Steffen was married to Carrie for 51 years, and they had a daughter named Sonja.