Steven Ostoja

Dr. Steven Ostoja is Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Climate Hub, based at the Agricultural Research Services’ Sustainable Agriculture Water Systems Research Unit housed on campus at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Ostoja earned his Ph.D. in ecology from Utah State University and both his M.S. and B.S. degrees in biology at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The USDA Climate Hubs are a multi-agency, service-based program that was designed to support and enhance robust agricultural production under increasing climate variability and extreme weather events. As Director, Dr. Ostoja and his staff develop and deliver region-specific, science-based information, tools and resources as well as in-person trainings that support agricultural and forestry decision-making for USDA agency staff and stakeholders in the largest agricultural producing state in the nation. The California Hub maintains a diverse portfolio of projects addressing issues like heat waves and water stress in tree crops such as pistachios and almonds to adaptation options in vineyards to reforestation applications after fire events. Dr. Ostoja’ s expertise includes applied natural resources management, human-environment interactions, and climate adaptation science, and his work has been published in over 50 peer-reviewed, government and technical publications and has contributed to numerous popular media outlets. He is also an avid mountain biker and kayaker and spends his time away from work on the trails or rivers throughout the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains near his home in Sacramento, California.