Postdoctoral fellows from the Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Program, supported by the National CASC, gather at the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara, California twice a year to collaborate on their national-scale synthesis research project focused on the “Future of Aquatic Flows.”  

The interdisciplinary cohort – biogeochemists, hydrologists, water quality scientists, and geographers – presented their work in a roundtable discussion to students, researchers, and staff from NCEAS and the Bren School at U.C. Santa Barbara during their most recent gathering in the summer of 2024. It was also an opportunity for the NCEAS’ Learning Hub to provide the CAP fellows with training related to actionable science (making research accessible, valuable, and usable to non-scientists), data management, team research, and effective communication skills.  

Cohort-member Dr. Charlotte Lee, a hydrologist based at the Southeast CASC, commented that the trainings have had a profound impact on the group, “it's been both challenging and rewarding to learn how we can use a common language, how we can all bring our strengths together to make this project better than if any one of us did something by ourselves.”  

This unique partnership between NCEAS and USGS has supported early-career researchers since 2023 as they become skilled collaborators and develop interdisciplinary research on climate adaptation. As the current cohort continues its work, the next CAP cohort is set to focus on the theme of “Future Species Range Shifts.”  

Learn more about the CAP Fellows Program.