When the Fifth National Climate Assessment was released in 2023, Professor Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, co-author of the flagship U.S. climate change report, called the findings stark, but hopeful.

Over the last three decades, Dupigny-Giroux has played several key roles in the National Climate Assessments—most recently co-authoring this year’s water chapter. She and her colleagues write: “Climate change is having profound impacts on our water cycle across the nation, increasing the risk of flooding, drought, and degraded water supplies for people and ecosystems.” 

At UVM, Dupigny-Giroux is a Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography and Geosciences and Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment. As the State Climatologist for Vermont, Dupigny-Giroux is integral to state agencies’ operations (transportation, emergency management, agriculture, forestry, and legislators) as they plan for and adapt to climate change. A co-author of Vermont’s Climate Action Plan, she is an expert at using equity approaches to study how floods, droughts, and severe weather affect Vermont's landscape and people. She works extensively with K-12 teachers and students, bringing the use of satellites and understanding climate to all levels of education.

Read more and see videos about Lesley-Ann Dupigny’s climatological work.

Research-related work of this type has contributed to the University of Vermont's designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 institution, placing it in the top tier of research universities in the U.S.