Kumud Acharya, Ph.D., serves as DRI’s ninth President. Pres. Acharya leads more than 600 scientists, engineers, and research support staff who rank among the top in the world in their specialties, which include atmospheric, hydrologic, earth and ecosystem, and wildfire sciences. Dr. Acharya became interim president at DRI in September of 2019 and was named permanent president in September of 2020. Pres. Acharya’s focus as president has been fostering growth in scientific areas that matter now, including wildfires, drought, extreme weather, climate modeling, and STEM education. DRI supports graduate students from Nevada universities who work alongside DRI’s world-renowned scientists, and under Pres. Acharya’s leadership, DRI launched an undergraduate internship immersion program to encourage those who may not see themselves in a STEM career to learn about careers in science. He has also expanded DRI’s STEM education program, which provides teacher trainings and free resources for Nevada teachers to enhance STEM education.