Andrea Ray (Ph.D.) is a scientist with the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories. She studies user needs for seasonal/decadal and longer forecasts, projections, and knowledge, and also studies decisionmaking, policy, and how information may be applied to societal challenges, particularly in natural resource management & adaptation. She often serves as a technical expert and participant in planning and policy teams, working to transition research results into applications, as operational products or directly to decisionmakers via assessments. Currently, she is serving on cross-NOAA teams to plan integrated assessments of current and future climate; to assess needs of a wide range of planners and decisionmakers for information on weather and climate extremes; and is working with NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service to incorporate risks of climate change into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission planning process for licensing or re-licensing dams. She recently led the "Rapid-Response Climate Assessment to Support the FWS Status Review of the American Pika," and was one of the lead authors of "Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation."

Previously, Dr. Ray worked for the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research headquarters offices for planning, coordination, and evaluation; the NOAA Policy and Strategic Planning Office; and was a program manager for the NOAA Pan-American Climate Studies research program. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography (Environment and Society Interactions), and a graduate certificate in environmental policy from the University of Colorado, and an M.S. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies.