Faculty
Personal Summary
Alisa Wade is the research coordinator for the USGS North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. She is a conservation scientist, trained at the intersection of physical, ecological, and social science, with a particular interest in bridging the gap between science and management by creating tools and resources for conservation planning. Her research and work revolves around climate change adaptation - for wildlife, people, and ecosystems. Her most recent research has included assessing and mapping species’ exposure and potential adaptive capacity to climatic change and investigating how land-use modification compounds climate change-related impacts to biodiversity. She often uses spatial models to inform conservation planning, working at the nexus of human-environment interactions, and she is fascinated by resource issues at the urban-rural interface. Previously, Alisa served as a co-author of the Montana Climate Assessment and as program coordinator for UM BRIDGES, the National Research Traineeship (NRT) for graduate studies at the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus at the University of Montana. She also served as a science lead for the UM Center for Integrated Research on the Environment (CIRE) managing species assessments on military lands. She remains an affiliate with the Department of Geosciences at the University of Montana. Alisa holds a Masters of Public Administration (San Jose State University), a Masters of City and Environmental Planning (University of California Berkeley), and earned her PhD in Earth Sciences at Colorado State University. She completed postdoctoral research with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS, UC Santa Barbara), investigating salmon distribution and vulnerability under climate change throughout their North Pacific Rim range.
Education
Ph.D., Earth Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2009
Master of City Planning, University of California, Berkeley, 2000
Master of Public Administration, San Jose State University, San Jose, 1995
B.A., Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1991
Teaching Experience
Co-Instructor, Geos/NRSM 542 Fall, Bridging Science and Practice: UM BRIDGES Food-Energy-Water Seminar, University of Montana, Missoula, 2019. Enrollment: ~25
Co-Instructor, Geos/NRSM 542 Fall, Science Communication: UM BRIDGES Food-Energy-Water Seminar, University of Montana, Missoula, 2018, 2019. Enrollment: ~15
Co-Instructor, Geos/NRSM 542, Spring, Interdisciplinary Methods and Models: UM BRIDGES Food-Energy-Water Seminar, University of Montana, Missoula, 2018. Enrollment: ~20
Instructor, Geos/CCS 108, Climate Change Science: Geosciences Department/Climate Change Studies, University of Montana, Missoula, 2011. Enrollment: ~100
Instructor, Geos490, GIS for Geosciences: Geosciences Department, University of Montana, Missoula, 2009, 2011, 2013. Enrollment: ~20
Graduate Student Instructor, NR575, Systems Ecology, an introduction to methods of ecological modeling: Ecology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2005
Guest Instructor, LA444, Ecology of Landscapes: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2004
Graduate Student Instructor, NR 420, Integrated Ecosystem Management, GIS Lab Instructor: Department of Forest, Range, and Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2004
Graduate Student Instructor, ESPM 102c, Economics of Resource Management: Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 2000
Graduate Student Instructor, Environmental Science 10, Introduction to Environmental Sciences, Lab Instructor: Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, University of California, Berkeley, 1999
Graduate Student Instructor, AA 122, Multi-racial Relationships in Society: Department of African American Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 1998