We are excited to announce that Dr. Meade Krosby has stepped into the role of NW CASC University Director after serving as the Deputy University Director for over five years. In addition to her role as the NW CASC University Director, Meade is a Senior Scientist with the UW Climate Impacts Group (university host of the NW CASC).
Meade works closely with land and wildlife managers, policy makers and communities to understand and address climate impacts on natural systems and the people who depend on them. Her current work includes vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning; large landscape conservation planning for climate resilience; and efforts to build climate adaptation capacity and communities of practice.
Meade received a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington. When she’s not in the office, you can find her surfing the Northwest coast with family and friends or working in the garden with her chickens.
What led you to work in the field of climate adaptation?
Like so many of us, I grew up in awe of the natural world – this led me to study ecology and evolutionary biology through college and graduate school. But as I completed my training it became harder and harder to not work more directly to address the threats facing the natural world. When I finished my PhD, I decided to pivot and focus my career on reducing climate risks to species and ecosystems. That in turn led me to work with resource managers and communities to support their climate adaptation efforts.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
Because the work I do is so collaborative, I spend a lot of time talking to people – at least half my day is usually spent in meetings (mostly virtual these days) with various project partners. The other half is spent doing some mix of research and writing; administration of the NW CASC and other projects; proposal writing; preparing or giving talks, trainings or lectures; and, of course, trying to stay on top of email. All of this is directed at supporting climate adaptation, whether that’s by providing science to inform action, training the next generation of scientists to work effectively with decision-makers, or raising awareness about climate change and what we can do to reduce harm to human and natural communities.
How does the NWCASC support climate resilience in the NW?
We support the development of actionable science to inform resource management in a changing climate. We do this by funding and conducting research to understand climate impacts on Northwest resources and management responses, by building the capacity of scientists to co-create research with resource managers to ensure it will be useful and used, and by fostering the networks that support learning and information-sharing in a time of rapid change.
What is your favorite thing about your work?
I feel deeply privileged to be able to work on the biggest challenges of our time – the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss – and to do that work together with incredibly dedicated scientists, managers and community partners. There’s real joy and meaning in working together to protect what we care about, despite the immense challenges we face. After five years as Deputy University Director, I’m excited to step into this new role and continue the good work of the NW CASC and its partners in promoting climate resilience across the Northwest.