Rachael Jonassen directs the climate and greenhouse gas management program in the Environmental and Energy Management Institute at George Washington University, where she holds joint appointments in engineering and urban sustainability. She has worked on climate change issues for over 4 decades, ranging from high-level nuclear waste disposal to hydroelectric vulnerability, urban adaptation, and mitigation to energy system risks. She holds a doctor of philosophy and master of science degrees in Geoscience with a research focus on computer simulation.