ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK | JOHN JAY COLLEGE

Let’s Talk About… Climate Change, Disaster Science, Earthquakes and Tsunami Evacuation Planning, Emergency Management, Energy Security, Flood Risk and Floodplain Management, Public Health Emergencies, Puerto Rico, Small Islands Vulnerability

As a disaster scientist and geo-qualitative researcher, I prefer spending time in the field rather than behind a desk.

My research explores the physical, social, and policy dimensions of disasters.

I study how climate change reshapes ecosystems and intensifies extreme weather events, especially hurricanes. I aim to advance disaster risk reduction in islands by examining how climate change, extreme weather events, infrastructure systems, and governance structures interact to shape vulnerability, resilience, and emergency management capabilities.

I also study seismic activity and tsunamis, with a particular focus on community preparedness and emergency management procedures. I aim to advance risk communication and education strategies, early warning systems, and evacuation planning, with the latter being especially challenging for islands and coastal communities.

My work places special emphasis on risk communication strategies, post-disaster energy security for medically vulnerable populations, flood risk and floodplain management, and how those issues can be tackled via a bottom-up versus top-down approach.

Focusing on Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and small islands, I engage with local stakeholders to identify specific risks, learn from the local experiences, and co-produce solutions that strengthen islands’ resilience.

Driven by a commitment to scientific innovation, communication, and teaching, I collaborate with engineers, physical and social scientists to support practitioners and inspire the next generation of leaders in emergency management.

P.S. Disasters are not natural.