Julie Vano
Research Director
Dr. Julie Vano is the Research Director at the Aspen Global
Change Institute and serves as co-associate director for the
organization. She oversees AGCI’s growing research portfolio,
which includes the Roaring Fork Observation Network, a
postgraduate fellowship program, partnerships with water
agencies across the US, and grants from multiple US federal
agencies focused on mountain hydrology, community resilience,
climate change decision support, and more.
Julie’s work is inspired by partnerships and the need to
connect science and decision making to help individuals, water
agencies, communities, and society make better, more resilient
choices in a changing climate. She has served as the president
of the Science and Society section of the American Geophysical
Union and is a vice chair of The National Academies’ Committee
to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program. She helped
found the Mountain West Climate Services Partnership and is a
climate science advisor to various water agencies, including the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Austin
Water. Julie holds an MS in Land Resources from the University
of Wisconsin and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering
from the University of Washington.
Prior to joining AGCI, Julie was a project scientist at the
National Center for Atmospheric Research and an NSF postdoctoral
Earth Science fellow at Oregon State University. She lives in
Seattle, Washington, where she enjoys camping, hiking,
gardening, and watching her kids explore the world.
Education
PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of WashingtonMS, Land Resources, University of Wisconsin
BA, Biology, Luther College