Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Professor of Environmental Studies and chair of the program in oceans, atmospheres, and climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been named the 2026 Tang Prize Laureate in Sustainable Development.
Presented by Academia Sinica in Taiwan, the Tang Prize is a biennial international award honoring outstanding research in four fields: sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology, and rule of law. Dr. Solomon, the only woman among this year’s laureates, was honored “for her groundbreaking advances and leadership in atmospheric and climate sciences that shaped global policy for sustainable development.”
Dr. Solomon is known for her seminal work on ozone layer depletion, CO₂ emissions, and climate change. By combining Antarctic field research, modeling innovations, and deep engagement with policy and the public, she has greatly influenced global climate negotiations. Her work was a key foundation of the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting substances, widely recognized as one of the most successful environmental treaties in history. She also co-led the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report on the Physical Sciences Basis of Climate Change, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. The report provided a comprehensive synthesis of scientific knowledge and became a cornerstone for global climate collaboration.
A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Dr. Solomon earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining the MIT faculty in 2012, she spent 30 years with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.