Benét Duncan

Dr. Benét Duncan is our Managing Director, and she is responsible for directing and managing the daily and long-term activities of the operations of WWA, setting strategic direction for the program in consultation with the PI team, and interfacing with sponsors and stakeholders. She also conducts research at the intersection of science and society, with a focus on sustained climate assessment and better connecting scientific information related to weather and climate with decision-makers. Prior to assuming the Managing Director role, Benét was Western Water Assessment's Climate Assessment Specialist, one of a small network of scientists at RISAs across the country working to advance sustained climate assessment.

Prior to joining WWA, Benét worked at the science-policy interface with the California Ocean Science Trust. There, she collaborated with scientists, managers, and stakeholders to develop usable science around California’s coast and ocean, with a particular focus on marine protected areas and climate change. Prior to that, as a postdoctoral fellow in UCAR’s Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise (PACE) program, Benét led development of ocean climate change indicators for Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The project brought together over 50 researchers and managers, and it led to the first set of climate change indicators specifically developed for a national marine sanctuary. Benét received her MS and PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Colorado, and her BS in Atmospheric Science from the University of California Davis.