Karen Bakker

Dr. Karen Bakker (1971-2023) served as Professor at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow, where she transformed understanding of environmental governance and digital sustainability. After completing her PhD at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, she established herself as a leading voice in water governance and digital environmental innovation. Her career spanned multiple roles including founding the Program on Water Governance at UBC, serving as VP Strategy for Riipen, and directing the Smart Earth project exploring digital solutions to environmental challenges. Her scholarly impact includes over 100 academic publications cited more than 18,000 times, seven books including the acclaimed "The Sounds of Life," and numerous prestigious recognitions such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, Stanford's Annenberg Fellowship, and membership in the Royal Society of Canada's College of Scholars. Beyond academia, she advised organizations including the IPCC, UNDP, and UNESCO while advocating for environmental justice and sustainability. Her final works focused on the intersection of digital technology and environmental conservation, including her posthumously published book "Gaia's Web" exploring how digital networks can impact biodiversity conservation and environmental governance.