Matthew Potts

Professor Matthew D. Potts is the S.J. Hall Chair in Forest Economics and the Associate Director for Sustainable Development at the Blum Center for Developing Economics. Dr. Potts brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to climate, biodiversity, and natural capital reporting and management, particularly in carbon removal and emerging climate tech. He has over two decades of experience in resource management issues in low- and middle-income countries and leads an interdisciplinary lab that focuses on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, forest restoration, and natural pathways for carbon sequestration. Dr. Potts recently served as a coordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment. Dr. Potts's impressive track record includes over 90 publications, numerous speaking engagements, and multiple advisory roles within the sustainability and environmental sector, as well as leadership on 21st century workforce transformation. He has helped launch two professional masters programs at UC Berkeley: the Masters of Development Engineering and the Masters of Climate Solutions. Dr. Potts received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.

Research Description

Matthew Potts has a broad, interdisciplinary background with formal training in mathematics, ecology, and economics, and more than two decades of experience in resources management issues in low- and middle-income countries. His interdisciplinary lab focuses on nature and community based climate solutions as well as the co-production by human and natural systems of ecosystem services.

Education

Ph.D. Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 2001

B.S. Mathematics, University of Michigan, 1996

Recent Teaching

ESPM 102 Resource Management

CSOL 204 Carbon Accounting & Lifecycle Analysis 

Publications

For a full list of publications, refer to Google Scholar