Margaret Walsh

Research Professor

Director of Research Development, Institute of the Environment and Energy

Margaret Walsh, Ph.D., Research Professor and Director of Research Development in the Institute of the Environment and Energy, is a systems ecologist with over two decades of experience working at the intersection of climate change, the land sector, and global development. Her work addresses the scientific, institutional, and community-level dynamics that shape environmental outcomes and human rights in the U.S. and globally.

Dr. Walsh served most recently as Senior Ecologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she led interagency coordination and science-based climate strategy for agriculture and natural resources. Her work has spanned multiple editions of the U.S. National Climate Assessment, climate adaptation and resilience planning, integration of socio-environmental safeguards in international grantmaking and lending, environmental and socioeconomic impact assessment of industrial development in sensitive rural areas, and analysis of climate change’s effects on food security.

A central focus of her work is making science actionable.  She has created user-friendly scientific tools to support real-time land management decisions, improving outcomes for underserved individuals and communities while also informing robust policy development at all levels.

A champion of systems thinking and practical, inclusive solutions, Dr. Walsh builds cross-sectoral partnerships that advance environmental sustainability, social equity, and human rights. She works closely with diverse stakeholders – across sectors, scales, and geographies – to co-develop effective solutions that in turn influence the direction of scientific inquiry.  Through research, collaboration, and policy application, she advances the University of Connecticut’s mission to discover, develop, and enact solutions that enhance resilience and community wellbeing in a rapidly changing environment.