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Kigali Sim Achieves Peer-Reviewed Publication, Advancing Open Source Environmental Research

In collaboration with the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), today DSE announced publication of Kigali Sim in the Journal of Open Source Software. The milestone marks a new chapter for the free, open-source modeling tool that helps policymakers worldwide assess strategies to reduce emissions from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are some of the most potent greenhouse gases, under the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment. The paper is co-authored by DSE and MLF. “This publication validates Kigali Sim’s technical foundation and makes it...
May 11, 2026
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Alejandra Echeverri headshot

Professor Echeverri receives 2026 award from the Ecological Society of America

Today the Ecological Society of America (ESA) announced Alejandra Echeverri, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and DSE faculty advisor, is a recipient of the 2026 Sustainability Science Award. The award honors “ Biocultural vulnerability of traditional crops in the Indian Trans-Himalaya," which was published in Science Advances last year. According to ESA, this research "makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences." Authors include...
May 6, 2026
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Will Rising CO₂ Help Fire-Adapted Shrubs Survive Drought? New Research Says Probably Not

Maya Zomer, postdoctoral researcher, is the lead author of a new paper in Tree Physiology examining whether elevated atmospheric CO₂ can protect post-fire seedlings against drought stress in Mediterranean shrublands. Her research was completed as part of her dissertation at the Desertification Research Center (CIDE-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. The Study In fire-prone Mediterranean landscapes, many plants rely on germinating from a seed bank after fire, which is known as post-fire seeding. In their first summer, these seedlings face high risk of drought mortality. As climate change intensifies...
April 23, 2026
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Kestral sitting on a branch

New Collaborative Research to Support Kestrel Conservation

Postdoctoral researcher Kristin Davis and a team of researchers and land managers published a pair of scientific papers that used advanced population modeling and decision analysis to address a long-time ecological mystery for the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius), and a collaborative process to chart a path forward. The researchers and land managers are affiliated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one Tribal and multiple state governments, multiple universities, and NGOs. “It was really inspiring to work on a common but declining species like...
April 17, 2026
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DSE Senior Program Managers receive "Excellence in Management" Award

Ciera Martinez and Maya Weltman-Fahs received this campus-wide award for their exceptional ability to "guide their teams through challenges with clarity and purpose over the past year" (Berkeley Staff Assembly). Both women serve as Senior Program Managers on our team and oversee all DSE projects. Berkeley Staff Assembly announced the 38th annual Excellence in Management (EIM) Award winners on Friday, April 3. Ciera and Maya are two of 24 final awardees and were chosen out of 7,000 managers across campus. This year’s theme, “Leading Through Uncertainty: Vision, Resilience, and Mission-Driven...
April 6, 2026