Science

• Scientist, Ecosystems and Adaptation
• Email: nheller@climatecentral.org

Prior to joining Climate Central, Dr. Heller taught ecology and environmental studies at Franklin and Marshall College and the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Her writing and research addresses the effects of global change on ecosystems, climate change adaptation, ecological dimensions of green infrastructure, and invasive species.  Dr. Heller also works actively with practitioners to translate science into management actions, currently advising on San Francisco Bay Area regional adaptation and resilience planning efforts.  She was recently named a Google Science Communication Fellow, and she also has received other awards including a Switzer Fellowship for environmental leadership and a National Science Foundation Fellowship for graduate study. Dr. Heller holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University and is a Visiting Scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.

Selected Publications

• E. S. Zavaleta, N. E. Heller “Responses of Communities and Ecosystems to Global Changes” The Princeton Guide to Ecology, ed., Simon Levin et al., Princeton University Press. October 1, 2009.
• N. E. Heller, E.S. Zavaleta (2009) “Biodiversity management in the face of climate change: a review of 22 years of recommendations. Biological Conservation 142: 14-32.
• N. E. Heller, J. W. Shors, N.J. Sanders, D.M. Gordon. (2008) Rainfall facilitates the spread, and time alters the impact, of the invasive Argentine ant. Oecologia 155: 385-395.