UGA doctoral student wins atmospheric sciences award

University of Georgia doctoral candidate Ashley Cornish received the 27th annual Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences from the Desert Research Institute. An award ceremony commemorating her achievement was held at the DRI campus in Reno on Oct. 7, 2025.

The Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences is an annual competition recognizing the published works of women pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. in the atmospheric sciences or any related program at a university in the United States. The award is presented to women graduate students with outstanding academic publications and includes a $1,500 prize. This award has been presented annually by DRI since 1998 and is the only such honor designated for graduate women in the atmospheric sciences in the United States.

Cornish is completing her Ph.D. in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of geography and is receiving this award for her paper “The Impacts of Plant Physiological Responses to Rising CO₂ on Humidity-Based Extreme Heat.” Cornish earned her B.S. in Meteorology from Rutgers University, where she investigated climate change indicators in New York and New Jersey for her honors thesis. At the University of Georgia, she earned an M.S. in 2022 and is expected to complete her Ph.D. in 2026. Her Ph.D. dissertation title is “Impacts of Changing Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions on Climate Extremes in Response to Rising Greenhouse Gas Concentrations and Geoengineering.”

"I am beyond grateful and incredibly humbled to have received this award for my first published paper,” Cornish said. “In this time where it can feel a bit disheartening to conduct earth science research, I appreciate DRI’s recognition of the important work done by women in the atmospheric/earth sciences. I cannot begin to thank the Wagner Award committee, Ms. Sue Wagner, and the rest of the folks at the Desert Research Institute enough for this honor."

Cornish is an atmospheric/climate scientist interested in the effect of shifting vegetation dynamics on extreme climate events in global earth system models. She is passionate about investigating the drivers of climate extremes, as well as approaches to climate resiliency and advancing understanding of potential mitigation and adaptation strategies. Her award-winning study disentangles the competing effects of enhanced plant growth and decreased transpiration on atmospheric moisture and extreme heat.

“I'm thrilled to see Ashley’s work recognized with the Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences!” said Gabriel Kooperman, associate professor of geography at UGA. “Her paper, which was published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science earlier this year, and her ongoing dissertation research, are advancing our understanding of how plants change and respond to rising CO2 concentrations, and the influence these plant-related processes have on the climate system. She is becoming an expert at using advanced Earth system model simulations to isolate these effects and quantify their influences on climate extremes such as heat and fire.”

Image: Cornish presents in the Stout Conference Room at the DRI Reno campus. Photo courtesy of DRI.