Margaret Walsh

Research Professor and Director of Research Development

Institute of the Environment and Energy

Margaret Walsh, Ph.D., Research Professor and Director of Research Development, is a systems ecologist with over two decades of experience 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 and human outcomes. Prior to joining UConn’s Institute of the Environment and Energy, Dr. Walsh served 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 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, 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 while informing robust policy development. A champion of systems thinking and practical, inclusive solutions, Dr. Walsh builds cross-sectoral partnerships with diverse stakeholders to co-develop effective, lasting solutions. Through research, collaboration, and policy application, she advances UConn’s mission to discover, develop, and enact solutions that enhance environmental resilience and community wellbeing in a rapidly changing environment.