As a Columbia University scientist, Broecker collaborated with Exxon on its climate research starting in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Working with Exxon’s Henry Shaw, Broecker and his colleague Taro Takahashi helped analyze the carbon dioxide data collected from the company’s tanker project. Nicknamed the “Grandfather of Climate Science,” Broecker has received numerous awards for his research focused on the ocean’s role in climate change, including the National Medal of Science in 1996. Broecker is a scientist with Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where he’s been since 1959. He is also the Newberry Professor of Geology at Columbia.