Stephen H. Schneider

Stephen H. Schneider, 65, a Stanford University biology professor and a leading climate-change researcher, died of an apparent heart attack on July 19.

Born in New York City, Schneider received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and plasma physics from Columbia University in 1971. In 1975, he founded the journal Climatic Change. In 1992, he won a MacArthur Fellowship.

He had been at Stanford since 1992 and was influential in the public debate over climate change. He wrote the book “Science as a Contact Sport: Inside the Battle to Save Earth’s Climate” about his work. He also wrote a book about his battle with leukemia, “Patient from Hell.” Schneider had been a White House consultant for seven U.S. presidential administrations.

He was a leader among scientists whose climate research earned them the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, an honor they shared with former vice president Al Gore. Schneider and Terry Root, his wife and collaborator, jointly won the 2003 National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation.

Schneider is survived by his wife; a son, Adam; a daughter, Rebecca Cherba; and a grandson.