OUR TEAM
Dr. Austin Becker
University of Rhode Island

Dr. Austin Becker is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. As an interdisciplinary social scientist, he works across the fields of planning, policy, engineering, design, and ocean science. He uses coastal-dependent infrastructure as a case study, focusing on creating and testing tools that help decision makers engage with complex problems involving uncertainty, consequences of natural hazards and large-scale shifts in climate, and the resulting challenges in policy and planning.

He serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Maritime Policy and Management, co-editor of Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Ports, and as Vice Chair of the Advisory Board for the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting. Dr. Becker has over 30 peer-reviewed publications and in 2017 was awarded the prestigious Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences. He earned a PhD in Environment and Resources at Stanford University. In a previous career, Dr. Becker captained sail training vessels and still maintains a 500-Ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license for ocean-going vessels.

web/uri.edu/abecker

Dr. Isaac Ginis
University of Rhode Island

Dr. Isaac Ginis studies the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, ranging from small to large space and time scales combining observations, theory and numerical modeling. His primary research areas include tropical cyclone-ocean interactions, surfaces waves in high wind conditions and their effects on air-sea fluxes and the hurricane boundary layer dynamics. His research efforts have resulted in pioneering advances in modeling of the tropical cyclone-ocean interactions that have led to significant improvements in the hurricane intensity forecast skills.

Dr. Ginis’s research group has contributed to the development of the GFDL and HWRF hurricane models used by the U.S. National Hurricane Center and Joint Typhoon Warming Center for operational forecasting of tropical cyclones in all ocean basins. His current research projects focus on advancing the physics in the U.S. Navy’s operational COAMPS-TC prediction system, surface wave impacts on upper ocean response to tropical cyclones, and advancing modeling capabilities to better understand the consequences of coastal and inland hazards associated with extreme hurricanes and to better prepare coastal communities for future risks.

web.uri.edu/gso/meet/isaac-ginis

Pam Rubinoff
University of Rhode Island

Pam Rubinoff is a Coastal Resilience Extension Specialist with URI's Coastal Resources Center and RI Sea Grant. For more than 30 years, Pam has linked engineering, natural hazards, and coastal management to provide technical assistance to vulnerable communities. Through her leadership she brings the best available science to incorporate science-based risk exposure and reduction practice into tangible guidance and outreach tools, locally and internationally.  

She has a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from University of Delaware.

crc.uri.edu/contacts_page/pam-rubinoff/

Dr. David Ullman
University of Rhode Island

Dr. David Ullman is an Associate Marine Research Scientist at the University of Rhode Island. His research focuses on circulation and mixing processes in the coastal ocean and estuarine systems, in particular those along the U.S. east coast, which he addresses using both observational and numerical modeling approaches.

https://web.uri.edu/gso/meet/dave-ullman/

Aimée Mandeville
University of Rhode Island

Aimée Mandeville is a Research Associate with the Environmental Data Center at the URI. She‘s an experienced GIS analyst with a focus on pushing the capabilities of ArcGIS Online to create effective interactive resources through hub sites, story maps, web applications and data dashboards.

Dr. Peter Stempel
Penn State University

Peter Stempel is an associate professor of landscape architecture at Penn State University and is affiliated with the Penn State Institutes of Energy and Environment. His work integrates design and social science to create and test models and visualizations used for hazard communication and disaster risk reduction.

Noah Hallisey
University of Rhode Island

Master's student, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Mansur Ali Jisan
University of Rhode Island

Doctoral student, Graduate School of Oceanography

Kyle McElroy
University of Rhode Island

Doctoral student, Marine Affairs

Deborah Crowley
University of Rhode Island

Doctoral student, Marine Affairs

Chris Damon
University of Rhode Island

Research Associate, Environmental Data Center

Christopher Damon serves as a Research Associate for the University of Rhode Island’s Environmental Data Center (EDC), where his focus has been on strengthening resource management, policy and decision-making through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies. His work includes both international and domestic assignments providing geospatial training, application development and GIS technical support to project partners. Christopher is a certified GIS Professional (GISP).  He holds a M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, a B.S. in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University, an and is a certified Remote Pilot with a small Unmanned Aircraft Systems rating.

Sam Adams
University of Rhode Island

Doctoral student, Marine Affairs

Samuel W. Adams is a doctoral student in the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. His research addresses the vulnerability of coastal communities as a function of critical infrastructure dependencies and the cascading consequences of storm hazards. He has a master’s degree in public administration from American Public University and a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation from Roger Williams University.

He also serves as the University’s full-time Emergency Management Director and Assistant Director of Public Safety where he oversees campus emergency management and fire safety programs. He is past president of the Rhode Island Association of Emergency Managers (RIAEM) and is a RIAEM-certified Advanced Emergency Manager.

Rosemarie Fusco
University of Rhode Island

Doctoral student, Marine Affairs

Emma Shanahan
University of Rhode Island

Master's student, Environmental Science and Management

PROJECT ALUMNI

Sam Radov | Marine Affairs | BA
Joyce Pak | Public Health, Brown University | Masters
Ellis Kalaidjian | Marine Affairs | Masters