Research

My research integrates theory, methods, and data from the physical and social sciences to answer questions and inform decision-making about socio-environmental systems. For example, I use lake sediments to reconstruct past wildfires so that we can estimate historical levels of biomass burning. The fire history reconstructions can in turn be used as inputs to global fire models that can simulate possible future scenarios. I also study how individuals (especially Americans) perceive and respond to climate change, particularly through its effects on extreme events, such as hurricanes and heat waves. In partnership with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, I have mapped Americans’ opinions about climate change across the U.S. and have examined the strongest predictors of those opinions. A few more examples of my research are highlighted below.

I also teach classes in Climate Change and in Environmental Data Visualization and Communication at Yale University.

Science Communication

I study science communication primarily through the analysis of public opinion survey data. For example, I have an ongoing project to identify Americans' opinions about climate change at state, congressional district, and county levels. Understanding how Americans in different parts of the country view this important issue has helped scientists, educators, journalists, environmental advocates, decision-makers, and others working to address the problem design effective messages, connect climate change to local concerns, and target specific audiences with information most appropriate to their local communities.

Watch: The evolution of Americans’ climate opinions before and during the age of COVID

Risk Perception & Decision Making

I conducted a study of Connecticut coastal residents hurricane risk perceptions. It is critical to understand risk perceptions because these are what motivate our decisions and actions when we are faced with a threat, whether real or perceived. In this study, we learned that most (70%) of Connecticut’s coastal residents do not know whether they reside in a hurricane evacuation zone. In addition, most residents believe wind rather than water are bigger threats to human life and property, when the reverse is actually true.

Long-term Environmental Change Research

My doctoral dissertation research involved collecting and compiling information about charcoal particles from burned vegetation that is blown and washed into lakes around the world. We call these data “paleofire” records. Paleofire records can tell us how much fire activity occurred in a watershed over thousands of years. These data can be paired with climate and vegetation data to reveal a long history of local environmental change. When many of these records are combined, they can tell us about the amount of vegetation that burned around the planet since before the last Ice Age. This is important because fire emits carbon dioxide, methane, and aerosol particles that affect radiative forcing. Modelers are now using the data I produced to better understand our climate system. I was also involved with the Paleon project and currently work on the Yale Nile Climate History Project, which examines the interactions of volcanic eruptions, climate change, and social processes during the Hellenistic Era in the Mediterranean.