Abigail L.S. Swann

Abigail L. S. Swann is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Ecology at the University of Washington. Her research group focuses on questions that examine the interactions between plants and climate.

Early life and education Swann grew up in Glen Ellen, CA and now resides in Seattle, WA. She received her bachelor's degree in earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. She then attended Columbia University for her master's degree in earth and environmental sciences. She returned to the University of California, Berkeley to complete her Ph.D. Her thesis advisor was Inez Fung. and the collegiate sailing Robert Hobbes Sportsmanship Award.

Career and research Swann is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science and Ecology at the University of Washington. She uses climate models to simulate the way that plants influence Earth's climate. While additional forests in mid latitudes across North America and Eurasia, may influence forests as far away as the tropics. Her group also examines how plants adapt to shifts in climate. For example, she found that plants use less water as CO2 increases, decreasing the severity of drought response and thus changing the way climate models should be built. Her findings on the influence of plants on the environment have been reported by Quanta magazine, Inside Science, and multiple UW news publications.

Swann serves as a co-chair of the Biogeochemistry Working Group of the Community Earth System Model.

Notable publications

Awards and honors

American Geophysical Union Global Environmental Change Early Career Award, 2019 Ecological Society of America Early Career Fellow, 2019 Science News 10 Scientists to Watch, 2019 Jon C. Graff, Ph.D. Prize for Excellence in Science Communications, 2019 DISCCRS VI Scholar, 2011 Giorgio Ruffolo Post-Doctoral fellow in Sustainability Science, 2010