When he went to college, Bill Chameides was intent on becoming a lawyer. But he exchanged his legal dreams for science — first physics then atmospheric sciences — and became one of the environment's star witnesses. See CV

It was dumb luck, he says, that led him to first study ozone in the troposphere, which resulted in him developing a theory of tropospheric ozone production while completing his PhD at Yale University. From there he took a postdoc at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, working with the current US National Academy of Sciences president Ralph Cicerone, who had just published pioneering work on ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. Chameides found watching Cicerone bridge the science–policy divide inspiring. Although most scientists at the time focused on atmospheric gas chemistry, Chameides laid down the foundation for dynamic atmospheric chemistry between liquids and gases.

Chameides then spent 25 years at the Georgia Institute of Technology, eventually becoming chair of the atmospheric-sciences department where he pursued policy-relevant research. Two years ago, he made an unorthodox move to become chief scientist of Environmental Defense, an advocacy group based in New York City. “I felt I needed to do more to advance the cause of good environmental stewardship,” he says.

Chameides thought he was burning his bridges to academia. But he continued to do research, and in doing so kept his career options open. During Chameides' time at Environmental Defense, the group helped to pass landmark laws and won two important Supreme Court decisions. But academia wouldn't let him go. Duke University sought him out to head the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Science — a programme noted for its ambitious goals of training students in the physical, biological, social and policy implications of environmental science.

Cicerone says creating a broad programme that merges research and liberal arts agendas is a challenge. But, he adds, Chameides has the qualifications to pull it off. Chameides is already planning to lead the Nicholas School faculty in an assessment of the major environmental and social problems facing the world over the next 25 years, and explore how Duke can best address them. His goal, he says, is to help shape the next generation of scientists, policy-makers and environmental stewards.