Kay Watt

Dr. Watt drives innovation and strategy as Program Director of the Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI), which is rapidly advancing the use of improved crops to capture and store more carbon in the soil—an approach with the potential to sequester an additional one ton of carbon per acre of farmland. In the U.S. alone, this could mean removing over 200 million tons of CO₂ annually at a fraction of the cost of conventional carbon capture technologies. HPI is launching its first field trials of these enhanced plants this year, accelerating the path to scalable, nature-based solutions for climate and food security. This work builds on Dr. Watt’s two decades in agriculture, where she has worked from the roots up—researching, cultivating, and pushing the boundaries of what plants can do. A firm believer in food security, she sees soil not only as a carbon sink, but as a foundation for healthier land and livelihoods. A former Fulbright Scholar and NSF Fellow, she earned her Ph.D. from UC Davis. Her background in religious studies and time in the Peace Corps cemented her faith in both humanity’s collective obligation to one another and the power of optimism to drive change against all odds. The Harnessing Plants Initiative is a proud member of the TED Audacious 2019 cohort, and is housed at the Salk Institute, where world-class science leads to life-changing discoveries.

stopping climate change / stopping to smell the roses

what if it all works out?

sailing, stargazing, sketching