Professor Jeffrey Sachs is one of the world’s foremost economists and public intellectuals, widely known for his pioneering work in addressing global challenges — from eradicating extreme poverty and tackling climate change to advising on financial crises and pandemic response strategies.

He serves as University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, and previously led the Earth Institute from 2002 to 2016. He is also the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and Sunway University is proud to host SDSN’s Asia Headquarters, helping to coordinate sustainable development efforts across the region.

In Malaysia, Professor Sachs is the Sir Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University and supervises the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development — a regional center of excellence launched in 2016 with a USD 10 million gift from the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation to the SDSN.

The Jeffrey Sachs Center offers one of Asia’s leading graduate programs in the field: the Master in Sustainable Development Management (MSDM) and the PhD in Sustainable Development.

An academic trailblazer, Professor Sachs earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Harvard University, and became one of its youngest tenured professors. He has also served as Special Advisor to three UN Secretaries-General — Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, and António Guterres — and now serves as an SDG Advocate under the current Secretary-General.