Gretchen Goldman is president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a leading science-based advocacy organization that combines technical analysis and advocacy to create and implement innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
She is an environmental engineer with deep expertise at the nexus of science and policy on topics including federal scientific integrity, climate science and emissions reductions, air pollution exposure and health effects, and environmental justice and science in federal decisionmaking.
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Previously, Goldman served in the White House as the assistant director for environmental science, engineering, policy, and justice in the Climate and Environment division of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she focused on climate equity, air quality, Indigenous Knowledge, environmental justice, and scientific integrity. She also served as the climate change research and technology director at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and previously worked at UCS as the research director at the Center for Science and Democracy.
Goldman has provided science advice and thought leadership across the science and decision-making ecosystem. She has testified before Congress and sat on the board of the nonprofit 500 Women Scientists. She served as an expert on the Public Health Rulemaking of the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). She has chaired the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and served on the UNESCO/AAAS Consultation Group on the U.S. science ecosystem.
Goldman is a prolific writer and speaker on science policy and has received several recognitions. In 2024, Goldman received a U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary’s Award from Secretary Pete Buttigieg for her work on decarbonization of the transportation sector. In 2022, Goldman received the Young Alumni Achievement Award for the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and made the Georgia Tech alumni 40 Under 40 List. She was named among Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year in 2020. She has been quoted by the BBC, CNN, Nature, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Science, among other outlets.
She holds a PhD and MS in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a BS in atmospheric science from Cornell University.
Selected publications
Carroll, C, B Hartl, GT Goldman, DJ Rohlf, A Treves, JT Kerr, EG Ritchie, RT Kingsford, KE Gibbs, M Maron, JEM Watson. 2017. Defending the Scientific Integrity of Conservation-Policy Processes. Conservation Biology. July 25. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12958.
Carter, JM; Goldman, GT; Rosenberg, AR; Reed, G; Desikan, A; MacKinney, T. 2021. Strengthen scientific integrity under the Biden administration. Science. 371 (6530) 668-671. doi: 10.1126/science.abg0533
Declet-Barreto, J, GT Goldman, A Desikan, E Berman, J Goldman, C Johnson, L Montenegro, AA Rosenberg. 2020. Hazardous air pollutant emissions implications under 2018 guidance on U.S. Clean Air Act requirements for major sources. J of Air and Waste Management. doi: 10.1080/10962247.2020.1735575
Desikan, A, T MacKinney, C Kalman, JM Carter, G Reed, GT Goldman. 2023. An equity and environmental justice assessment of anti-science actions during the Trump administration. J Public Health Policy. 44:147–162.
Goldman, GT, E Berman, M Halpern, C Johnson, Y Kothari, G Reed, and AA Rosenberg. 2017. Ensuring Scientific Integrity in the Age of Trump. Science. February 17. 355 (6326). DOI: 10.1126/science.aam5733.
Goldman, GT, J Carter, Y Wang, JM Larson. 2020. Perceived losses of scientific integrity under the Trump administration: A survey of federal scientists. PLoS ONE 15(4):e0231929. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231929
Goldman, GT, A Desikan, R Morse, C Kalman, T MacKinney, DS Cohan, G Reed, J Parras. 2021. Assessment of Air Pollution Impacts and Monitoring Data Limitations of a Spring 2019 Chemical Facility Fire. Environmental Justice. doi: 10.1089/env.2021.0030.
Goldman, GT, A Desikan, R Morse, C Kalman, T MacKinney, DS Cohan, G Reed, J Parras. 2021. Assessment of Air Pollution Impacts and Monitoring Data Limitations of a Spring 2019 Chemical Facility Fire. Environmental Justice. doi: 10.1089/env.2021.0030.
Goldman, GT, F Dominici. 2019. Don’t abandon evidence and process on air pollution policy. Science. March 29. 363 (6434) 1398-1400 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw9460.
Goldman, GT; Mulholland, JA; Russell, AG; Gass, K; Strickland, MJ; Klein, M; Tolbert, PE. 2012. Characterization of Ambient Air Pollution Measurement Error in a Time-Series Health Study using a Geostatistical Simulation Approach. Atmospheric Environment. 57, 101-108.
Goldman, GT; Mulholland, JA; Russell, AG; Srivastava, A; Strickland, MJ.; Klein, M; Tolbert, PE; Waller, L; Edgerton, E. 2010. Ambient Air Pollutant Measurement Error: Characterization and Impacts in a Time-Series Epidemiologic Study in Atlanta. Environmental Science & Technology. 44 (19) 7692-7698.
Goldman, GT; Mulholland, JA; Russell, AG; Strickland, MJ; Klein, M; Tolbert, PE; Waller, L; Edgerton, E. 2011. Impact of Exposure Measurement Error in Air Pollution Epidemiology: Effect of Error Type in Time-Series Studies. Environmental Health.10:61.
Goldman, GT, K Mulvey, P Frumhoff, R Sethi, S Pfirman, and H Commoss. 2017. A Methodology for Assessment of Corporate Responsibility on Climate Change: A Case Study of the Fossil Energy Industry. Journal of Environmental Investing. September 22.
Reed, G, Y Hendlin, A Desikan, T MacKinney, E Berman, GT Goldman. 2021. The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity. J Public Health Policy. 42(4):622–634. doi: 10.1057/s41271-021-00318-6.
Rosenberg A, Phartiyal P, Goldman G, Branscomb L. 2014. Exposing Fracking to Sunlight. Issues in Science and Technology 31(1):74-79.
Strickland, MJ.; KM Gass; GT Goldman; JA Mulholland. 2015. Effects of ambient air pollution measurement error on health effect estimates in time series studies: a simulation-based analysis. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, doi: 10.1038/jes.2013.16.