Tom Bowen

Tom Bowen helps lead the design and implementation of Mathematica’s global climate change strategy, with a focus on growing the climate practice through business development and thought leadership initiatives.

Bowen is passionate about bringing Mathematica’s rigorous research and analytical methods to the problem of climate change to help improve decision makers’ understanding of their climate vulnerabilities, the solutions available to address them, and the methods for assessing their impact. Bowen’s expertise encompasses issues related to climate adaptation and resilience, particularly as relates to social policy, food security, and disaster risk management. He has worked extensively on these issues internationally, including in the sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia Pacific regions.

Before joining Mathematica, Bowen worked at the World Bank for more than 10 years. During that time, he worked on an array of large, complex international development projects. He co-led a multicountry investment lending and analytical program focused on building the resilience of vulnerable households to climate shocks in the Sahel. He also led a multidisciplinary team to improve disaster preparedness through early action and forecast-based financing in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, he also led the World Bank’s support to the government’s COVID-19 emergency cash transfer program, which received a World Bank Vice President’s Award for timeliness and innovation. He has authored several publications, including a World Bank flagship report on the role of social protection in building resilience, and has been a contributing author on several others, including the Country Climate Development Report for South Africa. Bowen holds a master’s degree in international relations and economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.