Dr. Erin Riordan is an applied ecologist working at the intersection of plants, people, and climate. Using statistical and spatial analyses, Riordan strives to better understand how plants respond to climate in order to guide climate change adaptation in complex social-ecological systems, including aridland food systems. Riordan’s research draws upon the natural ecosystems and traditional knowledge of the Sonoran Desert to redesign food systems for a hotter drier world. She believes that an inclusive, transdisciplinary approach is essential to improving resilience to today’s unprecedented environmental threats. Riordan is a research associate at the University of Arizona Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill and a conservation research scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, both located in Tucson, Arizona.