Chris Funk

Chris Funk is the Director of the Climate Hazards Center (CHC) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), within the Department of Geography. His work focuses on developing climate data systems and monitoring tools to support disaster response, particularly in drought and famine-prone regions. He leads an international team of Earth scientists to improve early warning systems for weather and climate extremes.

Research Interests: Chris’ research revolves around climate change impacts, drought prediction, and the development of high-resolution climate datasets. His work integrates satellite and station data to create tools like the CHIRPS precipitation dataset and CHIRTS temperature records. He emphasizes bridging scientific research with actionable insights for humanitarian and agricultural decision-making.

Labs/Teams: Chris directs the Climate Hazards Center, collaborating with institutions like NASA, NOAA, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). His contributions include advancing methodologies for tracking climate extremes and their societal consequences, such as the 2020 book Drought Early Warning and Forecasting and the upcoming Drought, Flood, Fire (Cambridge Press, 2021).