This expert on water scarcity would never call herself a 'genius.' But MacArthur would

Newly minted MacArthur Fellow Amber Wutich says anthropology has historically had an "Indiana Jones problem."

"We have a history and even a contemporary problem of people coming into communities in a way that's not respectful, that's extractive," she says.

Instead, Wutich takes what she describes as a "justice oriented" approach to research, where she is invited by people living in troubled communities to come in, observe, and help solve the problems they are facing. For most of her career, the problem she has been trying to help solve is water insecurity.

"Water insecurity is an outcome of human manufactured systems. It can occur anywhere," she says. "Most people reading this piece probably have neighbors in their own backyards experiencing water insecurity. And about half the world will be in water stress conditions by 2030."

Wutich is