Summer 2026 Lecture in Climate Data Science: COURTNEY COGBURN

*Please note that in-person space is limited.*

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Abstract: Climate data science doesn't happen in a vacuum — the questions we ask, the data we trust, and the communities our models serve are all shaped by who is in the room. This session makes the case for broadening participation and knowledge transfer not as an add-on to rigorous research but as a condition of it: richer questions, more robust methods, and science that reaches the people a changing climate affects most. Drawing on the uneven distribution of climate burden and the makeup of the field itself, we'll consider how a scientific community's composition shapes what it is able to know. Through short reflective exercises, participants will map their own disciplines, assumptions, and spheres of influence as emerging climate scientists.

Bio: Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn is a tenured Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work and a faculty member of the Columbia Population Research Center. A leading scholar in racial equity research, Dr. Cogburn employs a transdisciplinary approach to deepen our understanding of racism as a structural force shaping health and social outcomes. Her work is dedicated to advancing how racism is measured and conceptualized. Dr. Cogburn is a pioneer in leveraging media and technology as tools for social change. She is the lead creator of 1000 Cut Journey, a groundbreaking immersive virtual reality experience that allows participants to step into the life of a Black male experiencing racism at different life stages. Premiering at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, this project has been instrumental in reshaping conversations around racial injustice by fostering awareness and engagement with systemic social and racial inequities in society. Her research further explores the psychological and social effects of immersive media, examining how such experiences can shift attitudes and beliefs about racism. She is currently working on a book project exploring the health benefits of imagination. At LEAP, she is the Director of Knowledge Transfer and the Chief Broadening Participation Officer.

She completed postdoctoral training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology and an MSW from the University of Michigan, as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

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COURTNEY COGBURN
(Columbia University)

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