Shannon Valley

Shannon Gabrielle Valley is an American climate scientist and policy advisor. She is based at Georgia Tech, where she studies the climate history of planet Earth. She worked as a liaison between the White House and NASA Headquarters for the Obama administration. In 2020, Valley was appointed to Joe Biden's NASA transition team.

Education and early career Valley spent her childhood in St. Louis and Houston. She attended public high school, where she first discovered science through introductory courses. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Northwestern University in 2007. After completing her undergraduate studies, Valley joined the Obama administration. She spent five years working between scientists at NASA Headquarters and the United States Congress. She enjoyed meeting the scientists, but became frustrated that she was not doing her own research. The impact of Hurricane Katrina on her Houston community inspired her to want to contribute more herself. Having decided that she wanted more formal training to become a scientist, Valley started to complete night courses in advanced mathematics. In 2016, she was awarded a masters degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Valley was appointed as a postdoctoral researcher in paleoceanography. In 2020, Valley was appointed to Joe Biden's NASA transition team, who serve to advise the president-elect in preparation for the inauguration.

Selected publications

Awards and honors 2014: NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal