Megan Wilcots
Background & Expertise
Megan Wilcots is the applied grassland climate scientist with the MN/ND/SD chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Prior to her role at TNC, she was the global change postdoctoral fellow at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Boston, MA. She received her PhD in ecology from the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Department at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, where her dissertation focused on the effects of nitrogen enrichment on plant communities and carbon and nitrogen cycling. She has worked in tropical and temperate forests, arctic tundra, and temperate grasslands. At TNC, Wilcots works on issues surrounding sustainable aviation fuel, grassland conversion, grassland monitoring and carbon sequestration.
Featured Project: Megan Wilcots
Conservation Risks of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
In a world of substitutable feedstocks, fragmented policy and rising demand for decarbonization solutions to aviation emissions
Challenge
Decarbonization is a key solution for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and lowering global temperatures; however, not every sector can decarbonize in the same way or to the same extent. The aviation industry has been seen as difficult to decarbonize since electrification poses multiple challenges, such as low energy densities, safety concerns and lagging technological advances.
Meet the Project Team
Project Leads
All Projects Featuring Megan Wilcots
Conservation Risks of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
In a world of substitutable feedstocks, fragmented policy and rising demand for decarbonization solutions to aviation emissions
2026 Impact Goal Projects Advance Sustainability Across Minnesota
Each year, the Institute on the Environment funds projects that advance sustainability in Minnesota. Since 2019, IonE has invested $7 million in Impact Goal projects. This year, the Impact Goals grantmaking program is supporting 10 outcomes-driven projects across the University of Minnesota system, totaling $1.5 million in funding.
Stewardship of Minnesota’s water and land emerged as a central theme among this year’s research teams.