Director, Dialogue Earth Kent's background is in science and engineering and he holds a Ph.D. from MIT. Kent has spent 10 years working at the interface between science, communication, and policy within the nonprofit sector. Audiences have ranged from staffers on Capitol Hill to the general public. Kent holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell University, a master's degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.