I am a scientist and science communication practitioner. I write and talk about water, wildfire, climate change, and people. My work has been published at New Republic, On Being, Bay Nature, and more. My award-winning book Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Engagement (Island Press) is available wherever books are sold. You can find me on Twitter @frkearns and Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads as @fkearns, and sign up for my periodic newsletter The Hard Stuff. You can also listen to Water Talk -- an award-winning podcast co-produced and co-hosted by Mallika Nocco, Sam Sandoval, and me.

I earned my bachelor's degree in environmental science, geology, and political science from Northern Arizona University and my doctoral degree from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. I have developed science communication projects at the Ecological Society of America, served as a AAAS Science and Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, managed a wildfire research and outreach center at UC Berkeley, bridged science and policy advocacy efforts at the Pew Charitable Trusts, and led science communication efforts with the California Institute for Water Resources in the UC Division of Ag and Natural Resources/Cooperative Extension. I am currently the Director of Research Communications for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative in the Julie A. Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. 

Curriculum Vitae