Matt Heavner

Matt Heavner photo
Board Member

Dr. Matt Heavner is a Senior Scientist at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) and is the Climate and Clean Energy Coordinator for LANL. Heavner is committed to co-production of knowledge, in part through his involvement in the NSF SEARCH program. During 2020-2023, Matt served as Senior Advisor at the Arctic Energy Office at the Department of Energy (DOE). Matt coordinated Arctic activities across DOE, represented DOE in Arctic coordination across the U.S. federal interagency, and led the development of DOE’s Arctic Strategy. In 2014-2016, Heavner was the Assistant Director of Global Security at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).  At OSTP, Matt worked on a range of issues including Arctic science and security; nuclear issues including strategic deterrence, non-proliferation, nuclear energy, and medical isotope production; and civilian earth observations and national security space issues. From 2003-2010, Heavner was a tenured Professor of Physics at the University of Alaska Southeast with diverse geophysical interests including subglacial hydrology, distributed sensor web monitoring of partially glaciated watersheds, and satellite remote sensing. Dr. Heavner earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and his bachelor degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy from Southwestern University.