Biology professor, Woods Institute Senior Fellow and climatologist Stephen Schneider died today at the age of 65, a New York Times blog reported.

According to his wife, biology professor Terry Root, Schneider suffered a heart attack as a plane on which he was traveling landed in London.

Schneider, one of the world’s leading climatologists, long held the opinion that climate change and its many complexities and nuances deserved full attention and swift action.

Schneider was the founder and editor of the journal Climatic Change and authored or co-authored over 450 scientific papers and other publications during a career-long journey to bring attention to climate change. He was also a frequent contributor to popular media on the topic.

Most recently, The Daily briefly covered a study about the expertise levels of scientists weighing in on climate change, co-authored by Schneider. More stories that involve Stephen Schneider can be found here. Stanford Magazine  published a feature interview with Schneider in the July-August 2010 issue.

In recent years, Schneider battled with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, eventually publishing a book on his medical journey. Of both cancer and of the climate, he said, “In both cases, there was no room to be wrong.”

— Ellen Huet