Karen McKinnon Receives NSF CAREER Award for Heat Extremes Research

The World Health Organization identified heatwaves as one of the most dangerous natural hazards, and they’re on the rise worldwide.

UCLA climate scientist and assistant professor Karen McKinnon has been awarded the U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER award for her research on heat extremes. Her proposal “Understanding Changes in Summertime Continental Temperature Extremes” addresses the escalating threat of heat waves in a warming world.

This award, administered by the NSF’s Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences division, provides McKinnon with a total intended award amount of $944,511.00 over a five-year period, starting from September 1, 2024. The award recognizes McKinnon’s innovative approach to quantifying the rate at which the hottest days are warming compared to average temperatures, a critical factor in understanding the increasing severity of heat waves.

The award will support McKinnon’s efforts to advance our understanding of heatwaves in the face of climate change.