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The following sources from the University of California, Davis, are available to talk with media about and wildfire, smoke and air quality. 

More ���˽�������̳���� Davis climate change experts lists are available under the topic areas of atmospheric sciences, water, wildlife, agriculture, energy and transportation, and community resilience.

Forestry and plants

is a forest ecologist with the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region and an adjunct professor at ���˽�������̳���� Davis. He can discuss climate change impacts on wildfire and forest management. Contact: 530-902-8135, mnorth@ucdavis.edu

is a research ecologist in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and chief scientist of Vibrant Planet, an environmental public benefits corporation that works in wildfire risk mitigation and climate change. Safford was regional ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Southwest Region until he retired in 2021. He can discuss climate change adaptation, fire and vegetation ecology, wildfire risk mitigation, forest and ecosystem management, ecological restoration, and science application and translation. Contact: hdsafford@ucdavis.edu

 is an ecologist and project scientist in the Safford Lab at ���˽�������̳���� Davis where he studies the effects of natural and prescribed fire on forest ecosystems. He coordinates the California State Parks Wildfire and Forest Resilience Monitoring Program and contributes to the California Prescribed Fire Monitoring Program, a joint effort between ���˽�������̳���� Davis and Cal Fire. Contact: jnwill@ucdavis.edu

, a professor of plant sciences, can discuss how forests and grasslands respond to climate change, drought and fire. Contact: 530-309-9111, amlatimer@ucdavis.edu

​, an ecologist and professor of environmental science and policy, can speak broadly about climate change impacts on forested ecosystems, stressors and management responses. Contact: mwschwartz@ucdavis.edu

a research scientist with the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, can discuss the vulnerability of California’s vegetation to climate change over the coming decades. He can also discuss issues related to water, ecosystems, conservation and land use. Contact: jhthorne@ucdavis.edu

is a Cooperative Extension specialist in enology. She can discuss the potential impacts of wildfire smoke on wine grapes, or “smoke taint.” Contact: 530-754-4866, aoberholster@ucdavis.edu

 is a plant ecologist and Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Invasive Weed and Restoration Ecology in the Department of Plant Sciences. He is interested in how plant communities respond to new stressors and disturbances, including invasive species, wildfire and environmental change. He also researches how to best restore native ecosystems in the face of environmental change. Justin also explores how nitrogen deposition from air pollution influences native plant diversity, the spread of invasive species, and wildfire recovery. jmvalliere@ucdavis.edu

Air quality, smoke and health

, is professor of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the ���˽�������̳���� Davis School of Medicine and directs the Environmental Health Sciences Center. An environmental epidemiologist, she can discuss the potential health impacts of wildfire, smoke and other environmental exposures. Contact: ihp@ucdavis.edu, 530-848-9495, or Lisa Howard at ���˽�������̳���� Davis Health, 916-752-6394, lehoward@ucdavis.edu

, director of the Air Quality Research Center, can discuss air quality of urban and natural areas, and the impacts of wildfire, emissions and other forms of pollution on air quality. Contact: 530-754-6558, aswexler@ucdavis.edu

professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine and director of Center for Health and the Environment, can discuss the health effects of inhaled environmental air pollutants, including smoke from wildfires. Contact: 530-752-8334, kepinkerton@ucdavis.edu   

 is a molecular epidemiologist and professor in the ���˽�������̳���� Davis School of Medicine. She can discuss how exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy may impact birth outcomes. Contact: rjschmidt@ucdavis.edu

is professor of anatomy, physiology and cell biology in the School of Veterinary Medicine and associate director of research at the California National Primate Research Center. She studies how environmental exposures like air pollution, allergens and microbes affect pulmonary and immune system development during the first year of life. She can discuss health impacts of for children and adults. Contact: lmiller@ucdavis.edu

is a professional researcher within the Air Quality Research Center, and Center for Health and the Environment. He can discuss the health effects of air pollution and smoke from wildfires, the role of particles in climate change, air sampling techniques and environmental justice. Contact: 530-570-2562, kjbein@ucdavis.edu

 is a micrometeorologist in the Land, Air and Water Resources department. He can discuss long term changes in air quality across the state and how wildfire emissions are changing the playing field for how we think about and regulate air quality. He has published on how wildfire emissions have impacted the Central Valley and more remote parts of California using satellite and surface measurements. Contact: icfaloona@ucdavis.edu

 is an associate adjunct professor with ���˽�������̳���� Davis Health and School of Medicine. She can discuss the health impacts of climate change and environmental factors, most notably heat and air pollution, on vulnerable populations, especially children and older adults. Contact: hgmargolis@ucdavis.edu 

is an assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics. She can discuss the effect of maritime air quality regulations on human health. Contact: jhansenlewis@ucdavis.edu

Adaptation, resilient construction and managed retreat

is a structural engineering and structural mechanics professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He also co-directs the ���˽�������̳���� Davis  and directs the . His research is focused on developing sustainable and wildfire-resilient construction materials. He can also discuss wildfire risk assessment and mitigation, and other hazard mitigation strategies for earthquakes, hurricanes, wind and climate-related challenges. Languages: English, Italian. Contact: mbarbato@ucdavis.edu

is an assistant professor of landscape architecture and environmental design in the Department of Human Ecology. She’s a co-author with Brett Milligan of the ,” which examines how and where people in fire-prone areas live to better adapt to wildfire. She can discuss wildfire, managed retreat, climate change adaptation and how to bolster resilience in wildfire-prone areas. Contact: eschlickman@ucdavis.edu 

 is an associate professor of landscape architecture and environmental design in the Department of Human Ecology. He’s a co-author with Emily Schlickman of the ,” which examines how and where people in fire-prone areas can better co-exist with wildfire. He also directs the Metamorphic Landscapes Lab, which works with public agencies and stakeholders to design landscape-based adaptions to accelerated climate and environmental change. He can discuss managed retreat and climate adaptation. Contact: bmilligan@ucdavis.edu 

Cultural burning and Indigenous fire

 (Afro-Caribbean, Eastern European) is a professor of Native American studies at ���˽�������̳���� Davis. Her research centers on Native environmental policy and Native activism for site protection using conservation tools. She co-created the course “Keepers of the Flame” and can discuss cultural burning, or Indigenous fire, and its careful application by Native people to manage landscapes. Contact: brmiddleton@ucdavis.edu

  is program manager for the ���˽�������̳���� Davis Environmental and Climate Justice Hub and a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Group in Ecology. She conducts research into forest management policies and restoring for Indigenous communities in California and teaches cultural Indigenous practices, environmental justice and policymaking to undergraduates. Contact: djmartinez@ucdavis.edu

Forests, drones and remote sensors

directs the Lassen Field Station for ���˽�������̳���� Davis Natural Reserves and leads a project using artificial intelligence to analyze the impacts of wildfire on natural ecosystems. He can discuss forest ecology, conservation, fire and the use of AI technologies to better understand them. His primary focus is freshwater ecosystems, California amphibians and invasive species, so he can also discuss how frogs and salamanders are impacted by drought and climate change. Contact: garyb@ucdavis.edu

is a research scientist in the Department of Plant Sciences. He leads the Open Forest Observatory and can discuss forest disturbance, ecology and management, as well as the use of drones for forest research. Contact: djyoung@ucdavis.edu

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This experts list was updated in Aug 2023 from previous versions in 2018, 2019 and 2021.