About Me
Welcome to my website! I am a Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell University in the Department of Global Development, working with Professor Andrew Reid Bell and the ELM Lab to develop better policy interventions to secure rural liveihoods against rising climate and environmental risks. In January 2025, I will join the Penn State Department of Geosciences as an Assistant Professor of Climate Risk & Decision-Making.
I am currently seeking a PhD student to join the Climate Adaptation Models for Policy (CAMP) Lab at Penn State starting in Fall 2025!
Prior to my postdoc at Cornell, I was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Earth & Environment Department at Boston University. I obtained my PhD in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in January 2023, advised by Professors Michael Oppenheimer and Simon Levin. My research approach is strongly interdisciplinary and collaborative, integrating methods such as agent-based modelling, game theory, and household surveys. I have conducted field research in Nepal’s Chitwan Valley, and am working on participatory modelling projects with stakeholders in Senegal and Brazil’s Rondônia State.
The main questions that underlie my research include:
1) How is climate change re-shaping rural-urban migration patterns?
2) What policies are most effective in helping smallholder farmers adapt to rising climate risks?
3) What governance principles are needed to help societies navigate deeply uncertain climate futures?
Prior to obtaining my PhD, I worked as a sustainability professional in Canada’s energy industry for five years, coordinating sustainability reporting and analytics, quantifying environmental and social risks, and developing collaborative social impact projects with industry and Indigenous partners. I received my Master’s in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary, where I applied life cycle assessment methods to develop new frameworks for evaluating energy systems investments under emerging climate policy, advised by Professor Joule Bergerson. I have undergraduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering and International Relations from the University of Southern California. In addition to academic and industry experience, I have had the opportunity to learn about climate and environment governance through internships at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco and the World Bank’s Environment and Natural Resource team.
I am always happy to chat about potential research collaborations; commenting on policy developments related to climate, migration, and agriculture; and navigating graduate school. Please feel free to get in touch at nec54@cornell.edu.