Rate My Professor Susan Solomon

Susan Solomon is the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with joint appointments in the departments of Chemistry and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. She joined the MIT faculty in 2012. Prior to that, she served as a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colorado, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado from 1982 to 2011. Solomon earned a BS in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

Solomon is internationally recognized as a leader in atmospheric science for her work explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole, including key measurements and theoretical contributions on the role of surface chemistry in ozone destruction. Her research has advanced understanding of chemistry-climate coupling, including studies on the irreversibility of global warming due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the influence of the ozone hole on southern hemisphere climate. She has authored or co-authored over 225 peer-reviewed papers, one book, and two co-authored books, with notable publications including a 1986 Nature paper on Antarctic ozone depletion and a 2009 PNAS paper on irreversible climate change. Solomon served as co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report climate science volume in 2007. Her honors include the National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize, the Blue Planet Prize, the BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award, and the 2026 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, and other academies, and an Antarctic glacier was named in her honor.