Sophie is the former ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, an independent statutory position that serves as a voice for the environment and climate action in the ACT. Sophie has published over 50 research articles on climate change and variability during her roles at the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University. In 2014 Sophie was awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship. From 2018, she served as a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. In 2019, she was named ACT Scientist of the Year.