One of the world’s leading voices in climate policy and technology will visit Cal Poly on Wednesday, Oct. 8, bringing perspectives from a career that has spanned climate law and data-focused solutions.
Baroness Bryony Worthington, a member of the UK House of Lords and one of the architects of the country’s groundbreaking Climate Change Act of 2008, will open this year’s Noyce School of Applied Computing Distinguished Speaker Series.
Her talk, “A Journey in Government and Technology,” will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at Cal Poly’s Advanced Technology Laboratories (Building 7). The event is free and open to the public.
“Launching this year’s Distinguished Speaker Series with a member of the British House of Lords is an extraordinary opportunity for our students and community,” said Chris Lupo, founding director of the Noyce School. “Baroness Worthington brings both political and technical expertise, offering global insight on how data can shape the future.”
Worthington has spent more than two decades at the forefront of environmental and climate work. She began her career leading conservation campaigns at Friends of the Earth before moving into government service, where she helped draft the UK’s Climate Change Act, the first law in the world to set binding emissions targets.
Since 2011, she has served in the House of Lords, influencing policies on energy transition, shipping decarbonization and clean air standards. Along the way, she has helped direct more than £100 million in grants for climate action and championed reforms to Europe’s carbon market.
Colleagues often describe her as “obsessed with data.” That focus runs through her work, from shaping climate legislation to her current emphasis on technology as a tool for accountability.
Most recently, she co-founded KilnerTech, a Silicon Valley startup that uses artificial intelligence to analyze political speech and highlight trends in public discourse. By focusing on evidence-based research, the company aims to help citizens cut through misinformation, reduce polarization and strengthen trust in democratic institutions.
About the Series
The Distinguished Speaker Series, hosted by the Noyce School and supported by the Lycke Trust, brings global leaders in technology and public policy to campus. The program gives students and the broader community direct access to conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping today’s digital world.
About the Noyce School
The Noyce School of Applied Computing is home to the first interdisciplinary school of its kind at Cal Poly, established through a transformative $60 million gift from the Robert N. Noyce Trust. Housed within the College of Engineering, the school unites the departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Software Engineering, and Computer Engineering, with Statistics as an affiliate, creating pathways for students and faculty to use computing to address real-world problems.
