Ruth Langridge, PhD
Coordinating Lead Author
Ruth is overseeing report development, administering the project, and is an author on the water and drought sub-sections. She was the lead author on the Central Coast Regional Report for the Fourth Assessment and has led two large-scale interdisciplinary projects producing integrated projections of climate change, land use change, and water supplies for the Central Coast. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from U.C. Berkeley. Her research at UC Santa Cruz centers on water law and policy, natural resources law and policy, environmental governance and institutional change.
Nathan Van Schmidt, PhD
Community Lead Author
Nathan is working closely with Ruth on report development, serving as natural systems sector author, and leading the climate data analysis coordination across regional report teams. He has integrated climate change, land use change, and water supply models for the Central Coast and developed a regional vulnerability assessment. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from U.C. Berkeley. As Science Director at San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, he leads their Climate Change and Waterbirds research programs. His interdisciplinary research focuses on the co-evolution of water, habitats, and human decision-making over time.
Julia Gaudinski, PhD
Climate Science Sector Author
Julia is compiling the Climate Science and Key Impacts & Events sections of the report. Julia holds a Ph.D. from the University of California Irvine in Earth System Science. She is currently the Research Director for the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center. Her expertise is in terrestrial carbon cycling. She also founded a startup “Mobile Ranger” to “connect people to places” by telling compelling stories of place based on information from science and history experts.
Eloy Oritz, MS
Social Systems Sector Author
Eloy is compiling the Social Science sections of the report. He holds a Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from UC Irvine. As the Special Projects Manager for the NGO, Regeneración, Pajaro Valley he manages their Transformative Climate Communities Grant incorporating community views about needed Climate Action Projects. He is the lead of the Monterey Bay Area Climate Justice Collaborative, has served on the Board of Directors for the Center for Farmworker Families, and was on the Northern Regional Steering Committee for California Jobs First.
Seth Gustafson, PhD
Built Systems Sector Author
Seth is compiling sections of the Built Environment of the report. He has a PhD in Geography from University of Georgia. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at California State University – Monterey Bay where he teaches environmental studies, geography, and urban studies. His research emphasis is on interdisciplinary and place-based approaches to the sustainability challenges of air pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss.