James Gerber

James Gerber is an environmental data scientist who left the University of Minnesota, where he co-directed the Global Landscapes Initiative at the Institute on the Environment, to accompany his wife, political scientist Lisa Hilbink, to Aix-Marseille University in France through the Safe Place for Science program, citing concerns about the future of academic research under the Trump administration.

Gerber holds a PhD in physics from UC Santa Cruz, where he applied quantum mechanics techniques to problems in ocean acoustics. Before joining the University of Minnesota in 2009, he worked in ocean wave energy, patenting techniques for optimizing wave-to-electricity conversion devices in both moderate and stormy conditions. At Minnesota, his research focused on agriculture's impact on Earth's ecosystems, modeling of crop yield futures, and the interrelation of climate variability and food security, and he consulted for organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, The Nature Conservancy, the Packard Foundation, and the World Bank, contributing to the Bank's Changing Wealth of Nations report. He served as a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report, focusing on how development pathways can improve outcomes for both climate and human well-being, and went on to apply that expertise as a data scientist at Project Drawdown, assessing the effectiveness of land-use climate mitigation solutions.

Gerber and Hilbink, married 23 years, have relocated abroad several times during past sabbaticals and fellowships. Along with a third colleague, they are among the researchers who accepted Aix-Marseille's offer, with a planned start date in January 2026 pending the administrative process of relocating abroad.