Dorian Abbot
Dorian Schuyler Abbot | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Harvard University (B.A. Physics 2004; M.S. Applied Mathematics 2004; Ph.D. Applied Mathematics 2008) |
| Occupation(s) | Geophysicist, Professor |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Employer | University of Chicago |
| Known for | Research on climate systems, planetary habitability, and exoplanetary environments |
Dorian Schuyler Abbot is an American geophysicist and currently serves as a professor at the University of Chicago.
Education
Abbot completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics in 2004, followed by a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard University in 2004 and 2008, respectively. His doctoral thesis, titled A high-latitude convective cloud feedback, was supervised by Eli Tziperman. He pursued postdoctoral research appointments at Harvard between 2008 and 2009, then at the University of Chicago from 2009 until 2011.
Career
Beginning his academic career at the University of Chicago in 2011 as an assistant professor in geophysical sciences, Abbot was promoted to associate professor in 2015 and attained full professorship in 2024. His scientific investigations focus on utilizing simplified mathematical and computational models to analyze climate systems, ancient climates, planetary habitability, and exoplanetary environments.
MIT lecture cancellation
In 2020, Abbot was invited by MIT to present the public Carlson Lecture on the topic of extraterrestrial life; however, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When rescheduled for September 2021, MIT’s hosting department withdrew the invitation, citing concerns raised by faculty and students regarding an editorial Abbot co-authored in Newsweek. The piece argued for admissions and hiring decisions to be based solely on individual qualifications rather than group identities such as race or legacy status, while critiquing certain university diversity initiatives.
MIT representatives explained that the cancellation intended to avoid controversy detracting from the lecture’s scientific message. Subsequently, Abbot delivered the lecture at Princeton University’s James Madison Program before an even larger audience. He publicly addressed the cancellation through interviews on media platforms including Tucker Carlson Tonight and CNN, and was honored with the Hero of Intellectual Freedom Award from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
Following these events, MIT held discussions prompted by faculty concerns regarding free speech; surveys revealed that 60% of participants felt limited in expressing their views. In response, MIT faculty voted in December 2022 by a two-to-one ratio to endorse a formal statement upholding freedom of expression. Abbot responded with guarded optimism about its implementation.
Publications
Among Abbot’s most influential publications are:
- Hoffman PF, Abbot DS, et al. "Snowball Earth climate dynamics and Cryogenian geology-geobiology." Science Advances. November 2017;3(11):e1600983. Open access. Cited 248 times.
- Palmer PI, Abbot DS, et al. "Quantifying the seasonal and interannual variability of North American isoprene emissions using satellite observations of the formaldehyde column." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. June 2006;111(D12). Open access. Cited 245 times.
- Yang J, Cowan NB, Abbot DS. "Stabilizing cloud feedback dramatically expands the habitable zone of tidally locked planets." Astrophysical Journal Letters. June 2013;771(2):L45. Cited 225 times.
- Abbot DS, Voigt A, Koll D. "The Jormungand global climate state and implications for Neoproterozoic glaciations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. September 2011;116(D18). Open access. Cited 245 times.
- Yang J, Boué G, Fabrycky DC, Abbot DS. "Strong dependence of the inner edge of the habitable zone on planetary rotation rate." Astrophysical Journal Letters. April 2014;787(1):L2. Cited 136 times.
- Abbot DS, Cowan NB, Ciesla FJ. "Indication of insensitivity of planetary weathering behavior and habitable zone to surface land fraction." Astrophysical Journal. August 2012;756(2):178.