Opportunities

Since its inception in 2019, the Innovator Program ties directly with NCAR's efforts to focus on strategic, interdisciplinary projects that span across NCAR's organizational boundaries, engage collaborators from the community, and foster an inclusive and diverse workforce in atmospheric and related sciences.

The Innovator Program announced the 2023-2025 cohort with six faculty PIs. 

"Because I'm primarily a social scientist, my knowledge of Earth systems modeling is limited. I felt that this program, by connecting me with NCAR scientists, would help me determine how advanced earth system data can be applied at the community level to equitably respond to weather and climate risks through strategic planning of nature-based solutions," commented Sara Meerow, Associate Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University and Innovator Cohort 3 awardee. 

Funded projects address a range of important topics, including adapting wastewater systems and optimizing the potential of green infrastructure to address climate risks, increasing our understanding of risk perception and decision-making behaviors in environmental justice communities, quantifying the socioeconomic impacts from space weather hazards, improving climate adaptation of arid and semi-arid regions through agroforestry, and advancing our understanding of climate-change attribution in the context of flooding.

The Innovator Program offers an opportunity for NCAR researchers to collaborate with social science faculty. "My collaborations have really opened my eyes to the complexities of conducting convergent research. There are many considerations and potential caveats, pitfalls and challenges, perhaps more so than a discipline-specific effort. But with this unique problem comes such a rewarding opportunity to explore, and hopefully solve, some very challenging societal problems" commented Curtis Walker, NCAR scientist and Innovator collaborator, on how his involvement in these collaborations has influenced his perspective on convergence research. 

This year's cohort includes six early-career faculty from social science and related disciplines working with thirteen NCAR researchers across four NCAR labs.