Nathaniel (Nate) Roth became the Department of Conservation's Chief Science and Data Advisor in May of 2020.
Previously, he served as DOC's Geographic Information Officer and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coordinator, overseeing DOC’s geographic data publication, practices, and the information technology infrastructure that support them. He was the liaison for GIS data between DOC and other state, federal, and local agencies as well as private and non-governmental organizations. Roth joined DOC in 2015 as a research program specialist in the California Geological Survey, assisting with geographic data publication and standardization.
Prior, Roth served on the staff of the Information Center for the Environment within the Department of Environmental Science & Policy at the University of California, Davis. During his 15 years at UC Davis, he worked on a variety of projects including geographic data development, complex spatial and numeric modeling, data publication and cataloging, and outreach related to project work. A prominent theme within his work included the use of data to improve decision-making processes through in-depth analysis emphasizing data and process transparency.
Roth has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Geography from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Environmental Biology & Management, also from UC Davis. Roth is a frequent presenter and speaker at conferences and professional gatherings and is active with the California GIS Council. He is a certified GIS Professional (GISP) and commercial unmanned aircraft system (drone) operator.
