CIRES is excited to welcome a new Fellow: Katherine Siegel, an interdisciplinary environmental scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Geography, where she’ll teach courses in the Earth Data Analytics certificate program. Siegel’s research examines global change processes and how they impact ecosystem outcomes relating to climate change and adaptation.

“I'm super collaborative so I'm excited about all the work happening at CU Boulder in the realm of wildfire from a social and ecological perspective,” Siegel said. “CU Boulder is a leader when it comes to interdisciplinary environmental science and data science.”

Siegel’s research focuses on “working” landscapes, from the Amazon in South America to forested mountains outside of Boulder. She describes working landscapes as lands where “there’s a lot of nature, but also a lot of human activity happening.” These might include public lands, rangelands, mining areas, or zones of suburban development. She uses an interdisciplinary lens — both quantitative and qualitative — and draws upon methods from conservation science, ecology, economics, and data science. 

Much of her research has focused on wildfires and how they are shaped by human activity and climate change. She’s eager to work alongside CIRES Fellow and international wildfire expert Jennifer Balch.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Siegel join CIRES and the Department of Geography,” said Waleed Abdalati, CIRES director. “She brings a powerful mix of disciplinary knowledge and methodologies that will enable us to better understand our changing environment and its relationship with people in new and exciting ways.”

Siegel received her PhD in environmental science, policy, and management at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2022, she was a NOAA climate change and postdoctoral fellow and collaborated with Laura Dee in CU Boulder’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. During the fellowship, she helped advance the understanding of links between forest ownership and wildfire severity. 

Her current research looks at how forests are evolving with changing wildfire regimes — like fire frequency and severity. Documenting what species are present can reveal how forests are adapting to climate change. She also researches adaptive responses to forest management approaches, like prescribed fire and mechanical fuel treatments, and how they impact both human communities and wildlife habitats.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Currently, Currently, she’s working on a project funded by the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) to understand how federal land management agencies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are adapting to ecological changes following wildfires. Across this iconic landscape, forests are changing in response to changing wildfire regimes, with impacts on a diverse array of ecological and social values, from access to popular recreation areas to habitat for threatened species. 

Siegel is excited to move back to Boulder where she enjoys the balance of outdoor access with intellectual opportunities. Outside work, you’ll find her geeking out over wildflowers in summer alpine meadows while hiking or backpacking, or searching for her next great read on a quiet Saturday afternoon at the library. 

Siegel also looks forward to the next step in her career at CU Boulder with countless opportunities for collaboration and impact with ESIIL, Earth Lab, and CIRES.

“I think my goal has always been to do science that can serve the public and help us adapt to climate change,” Siegel said. “Being a part of CIRES is really exciting from that perspective, in terms of joining an intellectual community of folks who are dedicated to that and are tackling it from lots of different angles.”