Samuel George Harker Philander (born August 25, 1942, Caledon, South Africa)[1] is a climate scientist, known for his work on atmospheric circulation and oceanic currents, particularly El Niño.

Among his published works written for a broad audience are Our Affair with El Niño: How We Transformed an Enchanting Peruvian Current into a Global Climate Hazard and Is the Temperature Rising?

Samuel George Philander grew up in South Africa where his family was designated as "Colored" under the system of apartheid.

[2][3] Based on his end-of-high-school examinations in 1959, he was allowed to take classes at the University of Cape Town, but was still prohibited from extracurricular activities.

[4] Philander was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States.