Gyami Shrestha, Ph.D.

Northern Virginia (Washington, D.C. Metro Area), USA

Championing science, tech and data-based solutions and investments

Principal Consultant, CEO and Founder, carboneers.org by Carboneers LLC (Consulting and Advisory Services)

Former National Program Leader, USDA NIFA

Former Director, Interagency U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office at the U.S. Global Change Research Program

Interagency Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Research Coordination Pioneer

“Throughout my 15+ years career, I have championed, developed, advised and led solutions and strategies for science and tech-based networks, programs, projects and engagements focused on renewable energy, water, carbon, resilience, data, forests, soils, agriculture and economic empowerment. For over a decade, I led the interagency U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program, supporting coordination of carbon and global change research with 12+ U.S. agencies and departments and their grantees across oceanic, terrestrial, atmospheric and social science disciplines. My work helped shape key initiatives such as the first interagency carbon removal research coordination products with 40+ government partners and a North American decadal assessment of carbon with 200+ cross-sectoral experts. Over the years, I envisioned and co-led the development of key digital knowledge platforms that have informed and supported thousands of U.S. and global stakeholders. At USDA NIFA, I oversaw investment programs that drive innovations in agriculture systems and technologies across all U.S. states and territories, as part of $300M in foundational and applied science funding that is annually appropriated by the U.S. Congress. I’m passionate about collaborating with multidisciplinary science, tech and policy teams to create meaningful, lasting impact.”

ORCID ID

Google Scholar

• LinkedIn

Dr. Gyami Shrestha is the Founder, CEO and Principal Consultant of carboneers.org by Carboneers LLC, which aims to advance cross-disciplinary science, data, tech and ethics based knowledge, investments and narratives. She helps and guides funders, scientists, entrepreneurs, grant makers and grant seekers with science policy advice and advocacy, stakeholder relations, public engagement and product development insights. Topics include advancing tech for good, engineering and nature based solutions and tech addressing society’s most pressing problems.

Dr. Shrestha recently served as National Program Leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). She led an $8M+ extramural funding program on data science and artificial intelligence, while co-leading or advising $40M+ USDA and interagency investments across biomanufacturing, nanotechnology, engineering for precision agriculture, climate change and social impacts of emerging agricultural tech.

In a related role, Dr. Shrestha previously spearheaded the multiagency US Carbon Cycle Science Program Office at the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) under the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) auspices for 11 years. She supported the work of 13+ government agencies representing $100M+ in annual US federal science funding for GHG, carbon and climate research. In collaboration with thousands of program leaders, scientists and stakeholders across all sectors, she catalyzed interagency and community science products, digital knowledge platforms and partnerships, such as the 1st Interagency Carbon Dioxide Removal Coordination (I-CDR-C) Strategy Group; the 1st federal multiagency CDR database; the decadal USGCRP State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) with Mexico and Canada; and the 1st U.S. Carbon Program and North American Carbon Program Leadership Award Program.

With roles in academia, non-profit and private sectors, she has led, advised and/or co-authored over 100 influential publications (incl. the US National Climate Assessment), strategic plans, projects and public engagement opportunities for and with U.S. and international partners. She began her professional journey in Nepal, assessing the feasibility and impacts of renewable energy and water technologies, and helping to launch national and regional women’s rural tech initiatives. Her early academic research focused on renewable resources, rainwater harvesting, soil carbon sequestration, biochar, prescribed forest fires, air quality, energy tech and STEM immigrants. She began her US science policy career as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in 2009.

Dr. Shrestha volunteers as a Journal Editor for the American Meteorological Society and advises various committees, boards and organizations.

Snapshot of recent accomplishments

As the Director of the interagency U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office under the White House US Global Change Research Program auspices for 11 years and three different administrations, Gyami conceptualized and executed multi-agency coordination and collaborations with hundreds of U.S. and global scientists, funders, practitioners and other partners. Her job and special initiatives spanned terrestrial, oceanic, atmospheric and societal dimensions of carbon, climate change and pertinent environmental themes such as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements. She led the three-year development of the 900-page decadal Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report with 200 multinational experts and 13 federal agencies. Encompassing 19 sectors and themes, this assessment was used by 181 nations, informing local to global climate change science, education and decisions. In one of her last achievements in that role, she shepherded the launch and operation of the Interagency CDR Research Coordination Group as a work stream of the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG), which she coordinated for over a decade.

Previously, Gyami held research, management, advisory and consulting roles in academic and non-profit organizations. For instance, she was part of the team that completed the America’s Climate Choices Report series at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. This series informed much of the subsequent decade of U.S. climate change research. Additionally, she served as an Expert Recruiter and Proposal Review Managing Consultant for the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS), working with 10 panels of U.S. professors to review U.S. research grant applications submitted to the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

Gyami served on science leadership committees such as those of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), the American Geophysical Union Ambassador Awards and the Community Climate Interventions Strategy (CCIS). She has led or co-authored over 100 publications, presentations and public engagement opportunities for U.S. and international audiences.

With over 200 contributing experts, this interagency Highly Influential Scientific Assessment was led by the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG) and U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program under US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)/White House auspices, and reviewed by 13 US Government agencies and departments, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the general public.
This decadal interagency U.S. Government report involved diverse experts from multiple institutions over 3 years, producing over 6 drafts that collectively underwent over 6 rounds of formal reviews.
Incorporating 19 chapters distributed across four interconnected sections  (I. Synthesis, II. Human Dimensions of the Carbon Cycle, III. State of Air, Land, and Water, IV. Consequences and Ways Forward), SOCCR2 assesses the last decade of cross-sectoral carbon cycle advances across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, in the global context.
The 36-page SOCCR2 Report-in-Brief includes the Executive Summary and a plain language overview.
The 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA4) Vol. II was also released simultaneously. 
SOCCR2 contributes to NCA4 Vol. II but is a stand-alone Sustained Assessment process report.

If you’ve made it this far on this page, I hope that you leave here ignited by the powerful and unforgettable words below!

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

– Maya Angelou

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

– Jane Goodall

Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.

– Susan Cain

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.

– Marie Curie

I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I’m changing the things I cannot accept.

– Angela Davis

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

– Mahatma Gandhi

I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

– Abraham Lincoln