Sydney's work focuses on exploring policy and economic pathways to scale and accelerate the use of nature-based climate solutions, with an emphasis on wetland restoration in the Delta. Prior to her role at TNC, Sydney served as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Water, where she analyzed legislation and served as an environmental advisor to Senator Henry Stern. Before her transition to the climate sector, Sydney worked at Penn State University as an astrophysicist with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, with whom she shared the 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. She holds BS degrees in physics and mathematics from Utah State University, a PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Project Management Certificate from Cornell University.