Bio
I am a trained climate scientist with a passion for engaging in public policy development and implementation. Most recently, I served as a Climate Program Officer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where I supported the development and implementation of climate policy and climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction programs throughout the world. Prior to my work at USAID, I served on then-Senator Kamala Harris’ energy and environmental policy team, where I worked on issues surrounding water resource management, energy policy, and climate adaptation. My journey into the science policy space was supported through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) program, and the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Congressional Fellowship.
Prior to working in science policy, I studied and researched variability of the West African Monsoon system over the 20th Century, as well as other subseasonal to decadal scale precipitation variability in semi-arid regions around the world. My broad research interests include understanding hydroclimatic changes driven by both natural and anthropogenic forcing, as well as the connections between modes of climate variability, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and regional climate impacts. I am additionally interested in several interconnected science policy relevant questions including, (i) how can we advance and effectively implement policies that improve individual and community level resilience to climate change? (ii) how can we best address hurdles and identify opportunities for a clean energy transition? (iii) how can we bolster the continued use of science and evidence-driven approaches to tackle complex environmental challenges?
Education:
B.S. Environmental Analysis (individualized major) and Statistics, University of Connecticut, 2010
Ph.D. Earth and Environmental Science, Columbia University, 2017
Postdoc, Department of Geography, Climate Hazards Center, University of California Santa Barbara, 2017-2018