Prof. John Mutter holds two professorships at Columbia University in NYC. One in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and another in the department of International and Public Affairs, where he is the Associate Director of the doctoral program in Sustainable Development. His scientific research has focused on ocean geography and marine seismology, and more recently on science based sustainable solutions for developing countries. He is a former deputy director of the Earth Institute and works with the International Council on Human Rights Policy which deals with the challenges of climate change and human rights. Prof. Mutter has also been awarded a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received degrees from the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and a doctorate in Marine Geophysics from Columbia University. He has authored over 70 scientific articles and many popular essays. His most recent book is “The Disaster Profiteers: How Natural Disasters Make the Rich Richer and the Poor Poorer” and his website is JohnCMutter.wordpress.com