About Me
As a scientist and researcher, I have executed projects focused on climate risks, climate dynamics, hydrology, water resources, agricultural risks, snowpack modeling, and development engineering. My research integrates mixed methods, including predictive modeling, geospatial data science, statistics, and integrative assessment modeling. I have extensive experience using high-resolution climate (CMIP6) and Earth System model data. My work has led to several publications, presentations at major international conferences (such as the United Nations COP25 and the World Climate Research Program Open Science Conference), and collaborations with industry professionals, academic and national lab scientists, and nonprofit organizations.
My interdisciplinary expertise extends beyond academia, encompassing environmental and geotechnical engineering projects within consulting firms, as well as developing carbon neutrality and sustainability learning objectives for the University of California system. I believe that innovative business practices play a crucial role in driving effective climate solutions. To this end, I participated in a highly selective program at Dartmouth College (Tuck) School of Business, gaining in-depth knowledge of marketing, management, finance, microeconomics, accounting, and strategy. My global experiences have enriched my skill set in data science, business, and foreign languages, making me a versatile and adaptive researcher.
I am driven by a passion to generate actionable scientific research and develop innovative, high-impact solutions to the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
Languages Spoken:
English (native), Spanish (native), Italian (fluent), French (basic)
Education
Stanford University, Doerr School of Sustainability
Dean's Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Earth System Science
University of California, Berkeley
Ph.D. in Environmental Science Policy and Management
Designated Emphasis in Development Engineering
Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business
Certificate, Tuck Business Bridge Program
Completed coursework in marketing, strategy, microeconomics, accounting, and finance, taught by world-class MBA faculty.
University of California, Berkeley
Master's in Earth and Planetary Science
Emphasis on climate mitigation solutions, carbon capture, and renewable energy systems
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor's in Environmental Earth Science
Minor in Global Poverty and Practice
Workshops & Training
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Community Earth System Model Tutorial
NCAR & Arizona State University
Co-creating Useful and Usable Climate Intervention Simulations Workshop
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL)
Summer School on Satellite Observations and Climate Models
Columbia University
Alliance Summer School in Science and Policy - Complex Interactions in Sustainability
Research Highlight
Future Implications of Enhanced Hydroclimate Variability and Reduced Snowpack on California's Water Resources
Beltran-Peña A, Rhoades A, Burakowski E, Girotto M, Michalak A, Diffenbaugh N, Inda-Diaz H, D’Odorico P (2025). Environmental Research Water.
Figure 1. Historical and future monthly rainfall- and snowmelt-driven runoff, irrigation water consumption, and water gaps in the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Tulare HUC-6 basins.
Publications
Future implications of enhanced hydroclimate variability and reduced snowpack on California's water resources
Beltran-Peña A, Rhoades A, Burakowski E, Girotto M, Michalak A, Diffenbaugh N, Inda-Diaz H, D’Odorico P (2025). Environmental Research Water https://doi.org/10.1088/3033-4942/ade7aa
Beltran-Peña, Areidy (2023). UC Berkeley. ProQuest ID: BeltranPena_berkeley_0028E_22372. Merritt ID: ark:/13030/m5621vtd. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wr3c8np
Future food security in Africa under climate change
Beltran-Peña A and D’Odorico P (2022). Earth’s Future. 10, e2022EF002651. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002651. Featured in an EOS Research Spotlight.
Values-based scenarios of water security: rights to water, rights of water, and commercial water rights
Jenkins W, Rosa L, Schmidt J, Band L, Beltran-Peña A, Clarens A, Doney S, Glassie A, Quinn J, Rulli MC, Shobe
W, Szeptycki L, D’Odorico P (2021). BioScience, 20, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab088
Potential for sustainable irrigation expansion in a 3°C warmer climate
Rosa L, Chiarelli DD, Sangiorgio M, Beltran-Peña A, Rulli MC, D'Odorico P & Fung I (2020). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2017796117. Cited in the 2023 U.S. Economic Report of the President.
Global food self-sufficiency in the 21st century under sustainable intensification of agriculture
Beltran-Peña A, Rosa L, D’Odorico P (2020). Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9388.
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
2025
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(Invited) American Geophysical Union, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
2024
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(Invited) American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C.
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(Invited) U.S. Department of Energy - A Framework for Improving Analysis and Modeling of Earth System and Intersectoral Dynamics at Regional Scales (HyperFACETS) project, online.
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(Invited) Arizona State University - Co-creating Useful and Usable Climate Intervention Simulations Workshop, Tempe, AZ.
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Stanford University Hydrology Seminar Series, Stanford, CA.
2023
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(Invited) American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA
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World Climate Research Program Open Science Conference, Kigali, Rwanda.
2022
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International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, Austria
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(Invited) Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA
2019
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(Invited) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 25, Madrid, Spain
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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Climate Sciences, Pasadena, CA.
Selected Awards & Fellowships
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Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023-2025)
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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program (2022-2023)
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Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2021-2022)
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Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship for Italian Language (2020-2021)
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Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar (2019-2023)
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NSF Innovations in Food Energy and Water Systems (InFEWS) Fellowship (2019-2020)
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The National GEM Consortium University Fellow (2018-2019)
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University of California Graduate Opportunity Masters Fellowship (2016-2017)
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University of California Office of the President Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow (2016-2017, 2018-2019)
