Research Fellow, Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment
Katherine Meek works as a Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE). At CLEE, her work includes research on enhanced aquifer recharge, which explores ways to augment water supplies, replenish groundwater, and restore streamflow in the face of increasing populations, urban development, and climate change.
Before joining CLEE, Katherine worked at UCLA’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment where she was involved in environmental justice projects incorporating equity considerations into California land use and housing policy. While at UCLA, she also worked with California State Senator Henry Stern to increase transparency in net-zero pledges undertaken by corporate actors. With her UCLA colleagues, Katherine developed a set of best practices designed to implement meaningful standards and promote investment in global south jurisdictions whose populations are historically underrepresented in terms of both funding and resources. California’s delegation presented UCLA’s work at the 27th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In 2023, with input and guidance from UCLA, the California Legislature passed Climate Disclosure Bills, including the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261) which were subsequently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Prior to her time at UCLA, Katherine worked as a geochemist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state where she used isotope ratios to trace anthropogenic sources of radionuclide contamination in the Columbia River basin.
Katherine holds a J.D. from UCLA, an M.S. in Geochemistry and Isotope Geology from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Smith College. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and learning new languages and cultures.
J.D., Business Law Specialization, University of California – Los Angeles
M.S., Geochemistry and Isotope Geology, Cornell University
B.A., Chemistry, Smith College, magna cum laude