Adam Terando

Adam Terando is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. He previously served as a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), where he contributed to climate adaptation science focusing on the Southeast and Caribbean regions. His research integrates geospatial analytics, climate modeling, and ecological forecasting to address challenges related to land-use change, wildfire dynamics, urban expansion, and conservation planning. Key focus areas include developing ultra-high-resolution climate projections for the U.S. Caribbean to support endangered species conservation and simulating urban growth patterns in the Southeast U.S. to inform adaptive management strategies.

Terando’s work emphasizes the interplay between human activities and environmental systems, with applications in wildfire risk mitigation, coastal development feedbacks, and climate-driven ecosystem shifts. He has led projects such as the development of a spatially interactive land-change model to reduce flood risk and assessments of climate impacts on species like the Venus flytrap and Caribbean coquí frogs. His methodologies include Bayesian climate model weighting and portfolio theory approaches for conservation decision-making under uncertainty.

Through collaborations with federal agencies and academic institutions, Terando bridges scientific research with practical conservation and policy applications, aiming to enhance resilience in ecosystems and human communities facing climate and land-use pressures.