Since 2021 Philippe Tulkens is appointed Head of Unit ‘Climate and Planetary Boundaries’ in the Research and Innovation Directorate General of the European Commission. The Unit co-programs EU R&I activities in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, nature-based solutions-and environmental observation. R&I outcomes are used by the team to transfer knowledge and contribute to the design of EU policies in the areas covered by the European Green Deal. Since May 2022, he is the Deputy Mission Manager for the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Over the previous years, he worked as deputy Head of Unit on accelerating clean energy innovation in the context of the Energy Union and as policy assistant to the Deputy Directorate General of DG Research and Innovation. He holds a PhD in climate physics and worked throughout his career at the interface between climate science and policies, in academic institutions, for the Belgian government, for the Chairman of the IPCC and, since 2006, for the European Commission.