Julia Ekstrom

I study how societies are transitioning — or trying to transition — to create a more sustainable world. I am currently Director of the Climate Adaptation Program at the University of California Davis Policy Institute. My research focus here at Davis is looking at how to better connect the climate science to support decision-makers on the ground. This work is focused on air and water quality in California and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Prior to UC Davis, I was a Science Fellow in the Oceans Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). During this fellowship I worked with a multidisciplinary group of experts on mapping human vulnerability and risk to ocean acidification, supported by the SESYNC.

Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Berkeley working on climate change adaptation and associated barriers as part of California’s Vulnerability & Adaptation Study (and Third Climate Assessment funded by the State of California). The focus of this project was to document and examine the processes and efforts local governments (cities and counties) were undertaking to prepare for or deal with the impacts of climate change. Within this project, my research also investigated the barriers that local governments encounter as they try to adapt and/or prepare for climate change. Documentation of these challenges can be especially useful for other local governments as they take their own steps forward to progress adaptation planning.

In 2008 I received a PhD from the Interdepartmental Program in Marine Science at UC Santa Barbara, focusing on governance.