Dave Hole, Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Dave Hole is a conservation scientist and executive leader with over two decades of experience advancing climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development solutions globally. He most recently served as Vice President of Global Solutions at Conservation International, where he helped shape and advance the organization’s work on natural climate solutions and ecosystem-based approaches to climate mitigation and adaptation.
He has held leadership and research roles across leading academic and applied institutions, including the University of Oxford (UK), Durham University (UK) and Arizona State University, as well as advisory roles supporting government and multilateral initiatives. His work focuses on applying science to real-world decision-making, with particular expertise in natural climate solutions, ecosystem-based adaptation, and the role of nature in supporting human well-being. He has extensive experience translating complex research into actionable strategies for governments, multilaterals, civil society, and the private sector, with a focus on developing scalable pathways to align climate and biodiversity outcomes within a safe operating space for Earth’s systems.

Dave holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on topics ranging from lipid metabolism, to house sparrow genetics, to climate change and its impacts on biodiversity and people.