Tracy Baker, Ph.D.

Dr. Tracy Baker is the Freshwater, Agriculture, and Climate Scientist for the Africa Program. In this role, Tracy is the science lead on hydrologic modeling and impacts of climate change on Africa’s water resources. Much of her work focuses on the application of a variety of computer-based modeling tools on agricultural landscapes. Her background in Extension lends itself well to collaborating with a variety of partners and in translating scientific information into options for practical on-the-ground application.

Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy in 2015, Tracy worked as a Research Scientist in Hydrologic Modeling with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Ethiopia. She also completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship with IWMI in Ghana. She previously held positions at Texas A&M University, where she was an Assistant Professor of Extension and an associated Research Scientist of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, and at Richard Stockton University where she taught courses in surface water and groundwater hydrology as well as remote sensing. She completed both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management at the University of Wyoming through USAID’s Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program in East Africa. Here, her research focused on remote sensing of changing landscapes in Kenya’s Mau Forest region and the impact these changes were having on hydrology and local livelihoods.