Maureen McCarthy

Maureen McCarthy is a Research Professor in Environmental Science at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nevada, affiliated with the Earth and Ecosystem Sciences division. Her work bridges climate science and community resilience, with emphasis on tribal lands and extreme weather adaptation across the Western United States.

Her research spans tribal resilience, climate impacts, extreme events, GHG fluxes, water security, and drought mitigation. Dr. McCarthy integrates Indigenous knowledge with climate modeling to develop practical adaptation frameworks, particularly for arid regions and Native American communities facing water scarcity and extreme weather threats.

Recent publications reveal consistent focus on collaborative climate resilience projects including Native Waters on Arid Lands and ARkStorm@Tahoe. Her work emphasizes stakeholder engagement, scenario-based planning for extreme storms, and translating climate data into emergency management protocols with tribal partners.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Dr. McCarthy leads interdisciplinary collaborations like the Native Waters on Arid Lands project (2015-2022) and Tahoe Science Consortium initiatives, working with tribal nations, federal agencies, and academic partners to co-produce climate adaptation tools. Her teams prioritize community-driven solutions for water security and disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions.