Focus Area: Sustainability & Global Environmental Change
Degree Program: PhD
Entered Program: Fall 2022
Expected Graduation: Spring 2026
Dissertation Topic: Extreme Heat and Human Mortality in the U.S.
Research Statement: As climate change accelerates, extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, severe, and deadly. My research investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of heat waves across the United States, with an emphasis on quantifying their impacts on mortality and identifying regionally specific drivers of vulnerability.
Through statistical modeling and regional analyses, I demonstrate that multi-dimensional heat event characteristics—such as duration, magnitude, and areal extent—exert varying influence on mortality outcomes across different climate zones. In parallel, social vulnerability factors—including age distribution, poverty rates, and housing conditions—modulate the severity of these outcomes, often amplifying mortality risk in underserved communities.
These findings support the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all approaches to heat risk assessment and highlight the need for regionally adaptive frameworks that consider both climatic and social contexts. By advancing our understanding of how heat interacts with place-based vulnerabilities, my work aims to support the development of more effective early warning systems, targeted public health strategies, and climate adaptation policies.
Adviser: Dr. David Keellings
Educational Background
- M.S. in Geography, University of Alabama, 2022
- B.A. Foreign Languages and Literature, Italian, University of Alabama, 2020
- B.S. in Environmental Science, University of Alabama, 2020