Research Roadmap: Things They Don't Teach You in Grad School
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Kristen Averyt, a Stanford PhD alum and Nobel Prize-winning team member, shared career lessons from her work at the intersection of climate and policy. Currently leading the scientific agenda for the American Geophysical Union, Averyt is the 2024 recipient of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Early- to Mid-Career Alumni Award.
Averyt’s career illustrates the potential global impact of a Stanford PhD, and this Research Roadmap event was an opportunity for Stanford graduate students to explore career possibilities and challenges with a renowned alum. Averyt offered students key insights on communication, leadership, managing failure, and the power of kindness.
About the Speaker:
Kristen Averyt, Executive Vice President for Science at the American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Kristen Averyt, PhD '05, is the Executive Vice President for Science at the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists.
She joined AGU in June 2024 after serving in the Executive Office of the President, where she was Director for Drought and Western Resilience at the Council for Environmental Quality. At the White House, she was part of the climate team working on issues related to water resources, drought, and extreme heat. Prior to her time with the Administration, Averyt was Senior Climate Advisor to Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak as well as the State’s First Climate Policy Coordinator (2019-22). Concurrent with these appointments, Averyt was a Research Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Averyt is passionate about connecting science with policy and decision-making and has worked at this interface throughout her career. Averyt’s research portfolio includes characterizing risks at the energy-water nexus, as well as understanding linkages between climate and western water. Among her awards and honors, she is most proud of receiving the Sierra Nevada Triumphant Award for Environmental Leadership from the Girl Scouts of America.
Averyt holds a PhD in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University. She received a master’s in chemistry from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where she studied on a US Fulbright Fellowship. Averyt graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami with dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and marine science.
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