Nalini Nadkarni, PhD. will join us as our Keynote Speaker for 2026!

We’re thrilled to announce our 2026 WCISA Annual Conference keynote speaker:

“Harnessing the generative power of disturbance for our lives, forests, and our planet,” Nalini Nadkarni, PhD.

Nalini Nadkarni, PhD. is a Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. Her unique academic career interweaves her scientific research on rainforest canopy biota with innovative public engagement. She has written 150 scientific papers and tree scholarly books on forest canopy-dwelling communities, supported by the National Science Foundation. She also engages with those who do not or cannot gain access to science education, including faith-based groups, artists, corporations, and the incarcerated. In 2016, she created the “STEM Ambassador Program” to train academic scientists to carry out public engagement events in community venues. Her work is featured in journals ranging from Science to Playboy, and in public media such as Science Friday, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and RadioLab. She writes and broadcasts a weekly public radio program, called “TreeNote,” about the wonder of trees. In 2024, the National Geographic Society named her as one of their ten “Explorers at Large.” Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Award for Public Service, The Rachel Carson Award for Conservation, and The Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice.

Learn more about Dr. Nadkarni by viewing the “Between Earth & Sky” trailer by Andrew Nadkarni*