About

My interest in disasters began with contrast. As a wildland firefighter in Oregon and Washington, I was part of a system mobilizing well to respond to crisis. As a volunteer helping New Orleanians recover after Hurricane Katrina, I saw how similar systems could fail catastrophically. I set out to understand why disaster management succeeds in some cases, fails in others, and how to close that gap.

I have pursued that question for twenty years across four continents and twelve countries: as a disaster risk reduction officer with Concern Worldwide, a critical infrastructure postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, and a Social Scientist at the RAND Corporation and Professor of Policy Analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. I am now principal of Polyrisk Consulting.

I work with technology companies, governments, and international organizations, including Waymo, GOAL, and the UN. At RAND, I led research for agencies including the CDC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Government of Puerto Rico. My recent work adapts established emergency management practice to emerging risks such as autonomous vehicles and AI. As Principal or Co-Principal Investigator, I have secured nearly $5 million in competitive funding from federal agencies, including NSF and NIH, and the National Academies. I have published more than 100 works, including over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature, Science Advances, Disasters, and Lancet Planetary Health.

I hold a PhD in Humanitarian Action from University College Dublin, where my research examined community-driven disaster management.