James J. McCarthy

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing is committed to improving the quality of science news reaching the public. Comprised of a panel of distinguished journalists and scientists, CASW develops and funds programs to help reporters and writers produce accurate and informative stories about developments in science, technology, medicine and the environment.

CASW P.O. Box 910
Hedgesville, WV 25427
304-754-6786

Professional information

Name: James J. McCarthy
Title/position: Science advisor
Biography: James J. McCarthy is Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University. From 1982 until 2002 he was the director of the university's Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ). He holds faculty appointments in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. McCarthy received his undergraduate degree in biology from Gonzaga University ad his doctorate from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His research interests relate to the regulation of plankton productivity in the sea, and in recent years have focused on regions that are strongly affected by seasonal and inter-annual variation in climate. Author of many scientific papers, McCarthy currently teaches courses on biological oceanography and biogeochemical cycles, marine ecosystems, and global change and human health. McCarthy has served and serves on national and international planning committees, advisory panels, and commissions relating to oceanography, polar science, and the study of climate and global change. For the past two decades he has worked as an author, reviewer, and as a co-chair with the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). McCarthy is a past president and elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Web site address: http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/mccarthy/mccarthy-oeb.html