MEET DR. JAY GOLDEN
Founder & Faculty Director

Dr. Jay Golden is the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at Syracuse University. Dr. Golden is an internationally recognized researcher and academic of the dynamics of the global sustainability transition including risks, unintended consequences and opportunities.   He is the author of the recently published book:  Dynamic Sustainability: Implications for Markets, Policy and National Security.

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Golden received his Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Cambridge and his master's degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development from a joint program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge. He also holds a Professional Mastery of Project Management Certificate from Stanford University, an MLE in Higher Education from Harvard, and has a B.A. degree in Management.

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Golden comes to Syracuse after serving as a faculty member, director of research centers and university executive. Golden was one of the first faculty members in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University where he also founded and directed the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations . Golden later founded and co-directed the Sustainability Consortium, a leading academic-industry-government partnership on Corporate Sustainability with a membership of over 150 of the world’s leading manufacturers, retailers and brands.

 

At Duke University, Dr. Golden was the faculty chair of the Business & Environment Program and Director of the Duke Center for Sustainability and Commerce.  Golden also served as Associate Vice Provost for Research and was appointed Executive-in-Charge of the Duke Corporate Relations Office working with global companies, CEOs and Boards.

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Golden was named Vice Chancellor and professor of sustainable engineering at East Carolina University a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina (UNC) system and later served as the President of Wichita State University. 

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Author of more than 150 articles and reports, Golden has participated in 100 invited presentations and more than 150 media interviews around the world. He has testified before Congress on sustainability and secured more than $100 million in research funding. 

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Golden was presented the Faculty Pioneer Award by the Aspen Institute for his leadership in the field of sustainability education and research. He was also named one of the 100 most influential people in business ethics by the Ethisphere Institute. Dr. Golden was inducted in the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.

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In 2017, Golden was appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he served on the executive board until 2024.  He has also served on a number of boards and committees including regional and state economic development and innovation councils as well as serving on committees for the United Nations Environment Programme.​