Kate Petersen guides Permafrost Pathways’ communications strategy, shaping and elevating stories on what we know about the threat and extent of permafrost thaw, what we’re working to find out, and how we are working with Indigenous partners to develop community-led adaptation and relocation frameworks as many Arctic communities contend with the compounding hazards of thawing permafrost.
Petersen believes that good science communication has the power to move the needle on major issues like climate change. The changing Arctic affects all of us, and we have a critical window of opportunity to protect permafrost for future generations.
Petersen has more than 10 years of strategic communications experience in climate science, health policy, and higher education. She studied English and the History of Science at Arizona State University and received her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Minnesota. She is also a former Wallace Stegner Fellow and Jones lecturer in the creative writing program at Stanford University. Previously, Petersen was the Assistant Director of Communications and Outreach for the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society at Northern Arizona University, where she led the program’s science communications efforts. Her writing has appeared in publications including New York Times Magazine, The Arizona Republic, and Tin House.