Dutton has demonstrated that sea level during the last interglacial period was about 20 to 30 feet higher than present day. This implies that parts of the Antarctic ice sheet may be unstable under current greenhouse gas levels, an insight that has improved sea level rise models for the next century.

She said her work is “sobering” and that some colleagues have on occasion called her “Depressing Dr. Dutton.” But she also finds parts of her work hopeful.

“It’s not like the Earth is warming and we don’t understand why,” Dutton told the Wisconsin State Journal. “It’s not like we’re moving closer to the sun and we can’t do anything about it. Having this knowledge is empowering because we know what to do. We just need to develop the social and political will to do it.”

Dutton earned her bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and her master’s and doctoral degree from the University of Michigan. She previously worked at the University of Florida from 2011 to 2019 and as a postdoctoral and research fellow at The Australian National University.

She worked from home on the day she received the call from the MacArthur Foundation. She said she rarely answers unknown numbers calling her cellphone — most are robocalls — but for some reason, she picked up that day and soon found herself in disbelief.