On Nov. 19, Kerry C. Duggan, a leading voice in climate innovation and sustainability, visited NYU Abu Dhabi for a fireside chat at Career Cafe organized by the U.S. Mission to the UAE. Known as “climate MacGyver,” Ms. Duggan is the founder and CEO of SustainabiliD, a global strategic advisory firm scaling innovative climate technologies. During the chat, she shared her insights on climate innovation and imparted career advice for students interested in the sustainability industry.

Having transitioned between government, startups, and academia throughout her career, Ms. Duggan recommended that students expose themselves to a variety of sectors, which can equip them with the knowledge of how any system works from top to bottom to truly make a difference.

As an angel investor and board director, Ms. Duggan actively supports climate tech startups. Unlike many others in the private sector, however, she also embraces the opportunity to join the public sector. Through working as climate advisor to President Biden and currently serving on the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board, she can develop a unique perspective that bridges government, business, and academia.

Her diverse experiences across sectors are also reflected in her academic background. While Ms. Duggan holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a Master of Science in Natural Resource Policy, she also studied Russian literature during high school, worked at a legal firm for three years, and ultimately earned a degree in public policy.

During the chat, she urged students to continue seeking new opportunities, emphasizing how that is what eventually makes students highly employable. In the midst of a global economic downturn, it can be easy for students to carefully calculate each move throughout their academic career and beyond, but having a sense of adventure may land students in scenarios outside of their comfort zone that may yield unexpectedly good outcomes in the long run.

She began her research on climate change back in the early 2000s, at a time when the climate crisis was hardly on anyone’s conscience. Like others from her generation, Silent Spring by Rachel Carlson was a wake-up call for her. For students with ideas for climate solutions, her biggest piece of advice is to “point out to your guts” and be confident.

Against the backdrop of COP29, where different countries show varying levels of commitment, it is easy to retreat to pessimism as one looks at the stagnant global climate action today. Meanwhile, Ms. Duggan is convinced that we should always start with local action. It is within local communities where one has the biggest potential to generate real impact. With an eagerness to change the world, she admits that she kept dreaming of traveling to Ecuador to save the rainforests at the age of 18 years old. Later, she realized that she should refocus on what she could do on a local scale during a summer trip to Copenhagen. This commitment to local action has eventually encouraged her to lead the LED streetlight conversion project in her hometown Detroit during the Obama-Biden administration, as well as founding the SEAS Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan.