Michigan Public News Director Vincent Duffy has announced that Kate Furby, Ph.D., has joined the station as the Senior Environment Reporter, covering science and the environment for the state’s largest public radio station. 

Furby received her Ph.D. in Marine Biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC, specializing in coral reefs and climate change. Her background includes covering science and environment stories for Inside Climate News, National Geographic, NPR and Scientific American, as well as writing for The Washington Post and PBS Digital Studios. Her background also includes hosting, writing, and producing numerous environmental features and podcasts. 

“We are very excited that Kate has joined the team at Michigan Public,” said Duffy. “Michigan Public has a long-standing history of covering science and the environment. Kate brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position. Her experience in covering the environment in print, audio, video, blogs and podcasts will be fun to follow.”

“I’m excited to be joining Michigan Public,” noted Furby. “I’m really invested in reporting on important environmental news and bringing a sense of curiosity and wonder into our stories about Michigan and the natural world. So far, I’m keeping an eye on everything from water quality to fat squirrels.”

Furby has been awarded grants from National Geographic Storytelling and the Waitt Foundation, and she’s a Jackson Hole Film Festival finalist, TEDxUCSD Speaker, Explorers Club Member, and the recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Furby will be based in the Ann Arbor newsroom but will cover the environment across the state of Michigan on all the Michigan Public platforms, working with the Great Lakes News Collaborative, and will be part of an upcoming Great Lakes podcast series.