David Scott Silverberg

David Scott Silverberg is an expert in earth sciences, geography, and conservation biology. Born in New York, David has lived most of his life abroad, working in more than 125 countries—including 16 years in Norway, 7 years in Germany, 10 years in northern Italy, 5 years in India and 4 years in Morocco. He is an active long-distance hiker, mountaineer, scuba diver and Big River explorer and has explored the Himalaya, Andes, Atlas, Alps, and the major coral reef ecosystems.

A fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, David is a passionate experiential educator who has designed and taught graduate and undergraduate semester field programs around the world for numerous universities including India, East Africa, SE Asia, Central America and the Andes. He served as executive director of Earthwatch Institute Center for Field Research with programs in southern Africa (including Madagascar and Seychelles) and helped launch Americorps as the associate director for environment programs at the White House. David received his PhD from MIT and his post-doc from Harvard University.

With support from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, and the American Alpine Club, David has produced numerous peer-reviewed papers on the formation of the Alps and the Himalaya. His current research investigates the geographic determinants of culture and history as well as the effects of biodiversity loss and changes in climate, land cover, and oceans. He has published many articles and books about the Himalaya, Alps, and Apennines, covering topics ranging from ecology to bridge engineering to wine and cuisine.

Language spoken: English