Roger Sedjo's career in economics has focused on forestry issues. Completing his economics degrees at University of Illinois (BA, 1961 MA, 1963) and University of Washington (PhD, 1969, he taught at Utah State University (1968-70, 1973-76) worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (1970-73), and received opportunities for fellowships and visiting professorships. Since 1977 he has served as director of resources for the Future, Forest and Policy Program, and as a senior fellow of its Energy and Natural Resources division. He also serves as president of the Environmental Literacy Council (since 1999). His specific research has focused on forests an global environmental
problems, climate change and biodiversity, public land issues, the long term sustainability of forests, industrial forestry and demand, timber supply, global forest trade forest biotechnology and land use change. He has served on many national and international committees and authored 14 books. He earned his Nobel Prize for his participation in the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.