As we prepare for a new academic year to begin next month, the EarthLab team is continuing at its usual busy pace, supporting our funded grant teams and mentoring our summer interns who are wrapping up their final projects this week. This summer also brings a change in EarthLab’s leadership.
Phil Levin has stepped down as interim executive director to begin a permanent appointment as the new director of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. His time leading EarthLab was always meant to be temporary, and we’re grateful for his year of service. Thank you, Phil!
Susan Dickerson-Lange is stepping in as interim executive director while continuing to lead the Climate Impacts Group (CIG), part of EarthLab, and serving in both roles. A hydrologist and geomorphologist by training, Susan has spent the last decade working with tribes, NGOs, agencies, and municipalities to turn watershed science into restoration and climate resilience projects built with the communities they serve. Her work connecting research to the real-world decisions people are actually facing is exactly the work EarthLab exists to support. She’ll hold both roles for now, helping steward EarthLab into its next phase, with a search for our next permanent executive director to follow.
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Susan since 2025, when she joined CIG as its director. We value her continued partnership and leadership. For anyone who has yet to meet Susan, we asked her a few questions about how she envisions the work ahead. Here’s what she had to say.
How do you think about connecting scientific research to real-world action, and what does that look like in practice?
Moving from research to action is built on relationships! I love diving deep into the details of hydrology data, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle. The real work of research-to-action is in the conversations with managers and practitioners, the time spent together considering the questions and the research implications, and in learning from each other’s perspectives.
What currently excites you about the work EarthLab is doing?
EarthLab unites researchers, practitioners, communications professionals, educators, artists, policy makers, and community members around the urgent need for practical environmental solutions. Being part of this community that cares deeply about building a two-way bridge between world class research and local expertise is inspiring!
What made you interested in an environmental science career?
I love field science. I’ve always felt most at home in nature and I love figuring out how things work, so I was delighted to discover geology as an undergraduate. Starting with those first field mapping experiences, my career path has offered me opportunities to: measure snow depth and density in the Cascades, pump groundwater to test for contamination, count log jams and pools in Pend Orielle County, and set up remote instrumentation in the San Juan Islands. I love the opportunity to focus on watching intently and seeking to understand, and I especially enjoy the wide-ranging and insightful conversations I have with collaborators in the field.
