Nicole Egna
Climate Strategy Associate
Carbon Markets + Biodiversity + Data Science + Net Zero Strategy
As a Climate Strategy Associate, Nicole works with Carbon Direct’s clients to shape high-quality carbon removal strategies, blending deep environmental-science knowledge with data-driven carbon-market insight.
Background & Bio
Nicole has worked in environmental science and data since 2017. At Bloomberg L.P. she served as the Carbon Data Product Owner, leading management of the firm’s global carbon-market data portfolio—standardising datasets, leading back-end modelling and coordinating across data, engineering and product teams to keep Bloomberg’s environmental offering ahead of market needs.
Before joining Bloomberg, Nicole spearheaded data analytics for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Giraffe Conservation Program, applying machine-learning algorithms and remote-sensing techniques to millions of camera-trap images. Her analyses delivered the population insights that supported the IUCN’s decision to reclassify giraffes from Vulnerable to Endangered.
While completing her graduate studies at Duke University, Nicole held several research appointments: she led a distance-sampling survey of cetaceans with the Duke Marine Geospatial Lab; collaborated with the Poulsen Lab to deploy allometric equations for estimating forest carbon stocks in Gabon; and completed a master’s thesis linking environmental drivers to giraffe occupancy patterns in Kenya.
Earlier, Nicole worked on the Conservation Innovation team at The Nature Conservancy, and developed an innovation framework used as a mandatory process for proposed conservation projects to increase cross-functional transparency, communication, and equitable project development.
Beyond her technical work, Nicole founded the non-profit Piano for Patients, which coordinates performances of musically inclined high school students at nursing homes and hospitals. She is also an award-winning screenwriter, and enjoys using the medium of film to spread awareness about the importance of nature.
Education
Master of Environmental Management, Conservation Science
Duke University
Master of Engineering Management, Data Science
Duke University
BS Environmental Studies
University of Southern California
Awards
Professional Student Merit Scholar
Duke University
Order of the Torch awardee
University of Southern California