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Melanie GallView profile

Assistant Professor

• Natural Hazards
• Disaster Risk Management
• Climate Change Adaptation
• +4 more

Melanie Gall is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs (SPA), co-directing the Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security (CEMHS). She also serves as a Senior Global Futures Scientist and manages the Spatial Hazard Events and Losses Database for the United States (SHELDUS). Her expertise spans natural hazards geography, risk metrics, climate adaptation, and emergency management policy. Educated at the University of South Carolina (PhD Geography), University of Salzburg (M.S. Geography/GIS), and University of Heidelberg (B.S. Geography), she is a certified floodplain manager. Her research focuses on disaster losses, vulnerability indices, and mitigation strategies, with fieldwork in Mozambique, Haiti, and the U.S. Her publications appear in Nature Climate Change , Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , and Natural Hazards Review . She teaches courses like GIS for Hazards Analysis and Hazard Mitigation Planning, emphasizing applied research collaboration with emergency management agencies at all government levels. Professional roles include Associate Editor of Natural Hazards Review and leadership in organizations like the North American Alliance of Hazards and Disaster Research Institutes. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy solutions for disaster resilience.

Jana CoxView profile

Assistant Professor

• River Morphodynamics
• Delta Sustainability
• Sediment Management
• +3 more

Dr. Jana Cox is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Hydrology at Utrecht University's Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on delta sustainability, sediment management, and climate change impacts in the Rhine-Meuse Delta. She completed her PhD and postdoc in Physical Geography with the Rivers2Morrow project, studying river responses to climate change and sea-level rise. Cox is involved in teaching coastal processes at the University of the Westfjords (Iceland) and co-founded Young Women of Geosciences to promote diversity in the field. Her expertise includes river morphodynamics, sediment budgets, and estuary dynamics. Current projects involve integrating the Delta Climate Center into education/research and developing sedimentation-enhancing strategies for urban deltas. Key research themes include anthropogenic impacts on sediment fluxes, dredging effects, and adaptation to sea-level rise. Publications highlight studies on global levee systems (openDELvE database), sediment budget analysis in the Rhine basin, and socio-biophysical frameworks for delta sustainability. Media engagement includes commentary on dredging practices in Rotterdam's port. Cox teaches in the Living Lab Sustainable Water Resources Management program and collaborates on global delta vulnerability assessments. She holds a PhD from Utrecht University (2023) and has advised projects linking sediment management to climate resilience. Her work bridges geoscience with policy, emphasizing socio-ecological solutions for delta regions under climate stress.

• Wildlife Trade Dynamics
• Biosecurity Policy
• Invasive Species Management
• +3 more

Dr. Adam Toomes is a Postdoc Research Fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Adelaide. He is affiliated with the Benham building on North Terrace campus and can be reached via email at adam.toomes@adelaide.edu.au. His research focuses on understanding the dynamics and risks of wildlife trade, particularly involving invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, with an emphasis on biosecurity, invasive species management, and policy interventions. Key research interests include monitoring online and dark web wildlife trade networks, predicting species vulnerability in pet markets, and evaluating legislative frameworks to prevent ecological harm. He has contributed to studies on the global terrestrial invertebrate trade, Australia’s illegal pet trade risks, and forecasting biological invasions. His work integrates multi-omics analysis, socio-economic modeling, and policy analysis to address conservation challenges. Recent articles highlight his focus on untangling Australia’s terrestrial invertebrate trade dynamics, assessing reptile smuggling trends linked to legal markets, and advocating for EU wildlife trade reforms. His research also explores the intersection of e-commerce platforms with illegal wildlife transactions, emphasizing tools for surveillance and intervention. Dr. Toomes has not been noted to have received scientific awards in the provided materials. His advising and grant activities remain unspecified, though his active publication record since 2019 indicates sustained research engagement. No lab or team affiliations are detailed in the source text.

Olivier DECKView profile

Professor

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Risk Assessment
• +3 more

Olivier DECK is a Professor at the University of Lorraine , affiliated with the Department of Geosciences and Civil Engineering . He serves as Head of the department and is attached to the GeoResources Laboratory and the GEOSYSTEMES research team. His professional address is at ARTEM-Office R220, and he has been a member of the University Association of Civil Engineering's scientific committee since 2015. Research interests include: Soil-structure interaction Vulnerability of structures to natural hazards Risk management in civil engineering Uncertainty quantification in geological hazards His work focuses on mining subsidence, ground movement, and building damage assessment using analytical and numerical methods. He has supervised numerous PhD theses on these topics and contributed to decision-support methodologies for sustainable risk management. Teaching responsibilities include leading the M2 "Risques" track in Civil Engineering at University of Lorraine, lecturing in structural mechanics, geotechnics, and numerical modeling, and serving on the Civil Engineering aggregation jury since 2015. Scientific responsibilities include: Leading the ANR-INCERDD project (2011-2014) on uncertainty quantification Organizing committees for National Geotechnics Days (2016) and other scientific events Peer-reviewer for journals like Computers and Geotechnics and Natural Hazards

Chris HoltView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Environmental Science
• Climate Change
• Water Resources Management
• +3 more

Dr. Chris Holt is a Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Northampton, School of Science, with a focus on environmental science and sustainable development. His research spans climate change, water resources, and flood risk management, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals. PhD in Climate Change and Water Resources, University College Wales (1996) MSc in Environmental Management, University of Stirling (1990) BA (Hons) in Geography, University of Wales Trinity Saint David (1989) His work explores intersections between climate adaptation, environmental policy, and community resilience. Notably, he has studied flooding impacts in Lagos, sustainability practices in Chennai, and water demand dynamics in the UK. Dr. Holt supervises PhD students in environmental science, addressing topics like aquaculture poverty alleviation, climate resilience in agriculture, and animal behavior. He has published extensively on waste minimization, hydrology, and environmental risk assessment since 2000. He served as an External Examiner at the University of Hertfordshire (2010-2014) and St Mary's University (2010-2014), and participated in international mobility workshops. His research outputs include 10 peer-reviewed articles and reports.

Christian K. KarlView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Civil Engineering Didactics
• Digital Transformation in Construction Education
• Simulation and Gaming for Disaster Management
• +3 more

Dr. Christian K. Karl, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering Didactics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, combines engineering practice with educational innovation. As Head of the Civil Engineering Didactics group and Chair of the VDI 2552 Guidelines Committee, he pioneers simulation games, BIM training frameworks, and AI integration in pedagogy. Lead developer of simulation tools like 'Einsatz in Grimhausen' for disaster management Recipient of the Best Workshop Award at ISAGA 2025 Principal investigator for projects: KI4Edu , DigiTeamsBau , and BIM Kommunal Author of 20+ publications on BIM, AI, and educational games His research focuses on competency-oriented teaching methods, digital transformation in construction, and immersive learning technologies. Recent work explores AI's impact on teacher roles, Smart Home systems, and circular construction practices. Articles highlight trends in simulation games for crisis training, BIM education frameworks, and AI applications for personalized teaching. He emphasizes human-centered technology development and collaborative digital workflows . Scientific recognition includes: Best Workshop Award (ISAGA 2025) Hochschuldidaktische Innovationen (2010) As Chair of the VDI 2552 committee, he shapes national BIM training standards. His leadership in EU Academy platform development and initiatives like 'Personalisierte KI-generierte Podcasts' underscores his commitment to accessible, forward-thinking education.

Scott DeWolfView profile

Researcher

• Geophysics
• Optical Fiber Sensors
• Subsurface Strain Measurement
• +3 more

Scott DeWolf is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University, specializing in optical fiber sensor systems for geophysical applications. With over $6M in funding, his work includes permanent subsurface strain monitoring for CO 2 injection and reservoir characterization. Education: Ph.D. in Oceanography (Applied Ocean Science) from UC San Diego (2014), M.S. in Earth Sciences (Geophysics) from UC San Diego (2009), and dual B.S. degrees in Physics and Mathematics from University of Wisconsin River Falls (2007). His research focuses on: High-resolution borehole strain measurements using ruggedized optical fiber CO 2 subsurface storage monitoring Shallow-deep reservoir correlation through strain tensor analysis Subsidence mapping in deltaic environments Nonlinear wave spectroscopy for wellbore damage detection Geophysical instrument development for field deployments Recent publications highlight advancements in: Bayesian inversion of strain tensor data Shallow geologic carbon storage Coherence microwave photonic interferometry Subsidence dynamics in Bangladesh Scientific Awards: Best Poster (2013, European Workshop on Optical Fibre Sensors) Ronald E. McNair Scholar (2005) Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society (2005) Scott contributes to the HydroMechanics research group and has developed electromagnetic and fiber optic instruments for subsurface monitoring since joining Clemson in 2014.

FATMA DEMİRView profile

Researcher

• Civil Engineering
• Hydraulic Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• +3 more

Res. Assist. Dr. FATMA DEMİR is a researcher at the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Igdir University. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. from Sakarya University (2014-2024) focusing on real-time river monitoring systems, an M.Sc. from Sakarya University (2012-2014) on flood risk assessment, and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Firat University (2006-2010). Her research interests revolve around hydraulic engineering, flood risk management, and water resource systems. Key areas include real-time monitoring station development for flood warnings, climate change impacts on reservoir levels, sediment transport dynamics, and fuzzy logic applications in irrigation optimization. Her work emphasizes practical solutions for environmental challenges, such as designing flood inundation maps for urban areas and assessing disaster costs. She has contributed to projects like the Real-Time Water Level Monitoring Station Prototype for the Sakarya River and Flood Risk Assessment in Adapazarı . Dr. Demir’s publications span environmental protection, applied sciences, and hydraulic engineering journals. She actively collaborates with institutions like Sakarya University and has presented at conferences on innovative technologies in engineering and disaster management.

Björn AlmströmView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Water Engineering
• Coastal Engineering
• Hydrology
• +5 more

Björn Almström is an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Division of Water Resources Engineering within the Lund University Faculty of Engineering. He specializes in coastal engineering, climate adaptation, and erosion control with a focus on sustainable infrastructure solutions. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action and responsible consumption. Research interests include wave dynamics, beach nourishment, vegetated dike systems, and infrastructure resilience against sea level rise. He leads projects like LIFE22-CCA-SE-LIFECAPEable (2023–2028) and SISLR (2021–2025), addressing coastal erosion and community impact mitigation. Recent publications emphasize frameworks for coastal road vulnerability assessment, natural flood defense planning, and experimental studies on vegetation-stabilized embankments. He actively participates in media outreach and peer review for journals like Nature-Based Solutions . Current projects involve collaboration with European agencies and local stakeholders to develop climate-resilient coastal strategies. His work bridges engineering solutions with ecological sustainability, emphasizing practical implementation of nature-based solutions.

Diana CervantesView profile

Associate Professor

• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Gerontology
• +3 more

Diana Cervantes is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, specializing in Population and Community Health. She holds advanced degrees including a DrPH in Epidemiology from UNT Health Science Center. Her research focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, healthcare quality improvement, and gerontology, with an emphasis on infection prevention measures, outbreak management, and racial disparities in healthcare-associated conditions and infectious diseases such as HPV, cervical cancer, HIV, and hepatitis. Education: DrPH in Epidemiology, UNT Health Science Center MPH in Epidemiology, UNT Health Science Center MS in Gerontology, Kansas State University MS in Biology, University of Texas at Arlington BS in Biology, University of Texas at Arlington Research Interests: Dr. Cervantes investigates infection control strategies, disparities in healthcare outcomes, and public health responses to emerging infectious diseases. Her work spans nursing home infection prevention (e.g., the ICARE program), outbreak investigations (e.g., Ebola in Dallas), and nutritional epidemiology (e.g., magnesium-cognition links in older adults). Grants/Projects: PI of the 2024–2025 project Model and Framework for Obtain funded by the Association of Schools of Public Health Labs/Teams: She collaborates with initiatives like CHARGE and ICARE, focusing on resident-centered infection prevention in nursing homes and community-based health equity projects.

Yan ZhangView profile

Academic

• Microbiome
• Host-Microbiome Interactions
• Tick-Borne Diseases
• +4 more

Yan Zhang is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, affiliated with the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Genetics. His research focuses on the interaction between the microbiome and host health/disease, particularly in tick-borne diseases, phenylketonuria, Alzheimer’s, and post-injury inflammation. Education: He holds a PhD in Microbiology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Additional degrees include a BS and MS in Microbiological Pharmaceutics and Microbiology & Biochem Pharm from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University. Research Interests: - Host-microbiome interactions in disease development - Genomic/metagenomic approaches for microbiome analysis - Tick microbiome and human disease-associated microbiomes - Development of bioinformatics tools for metagenomic analysis Projects: - UNTHSC Early Stage Investigator Project (2023–2024) : Investigating the role of gut microbiome in Lyme arthritis (Principal Investigator). - Rapid Characterization of Microbial Community Structure (2017–2018) : Analyzing floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey. - Principles of Sorghum halepense Invasiveness (2017–2018) : Ecological studies on invasive species. Labs/Services: Provides Next-Generation Sequencing (IonTorrent, MiSeq) and bioinformatics tools for metagenomic analysis.

Jaafar AlghazoView profile

Associate Professor

• Machine Learning
• Deep Learning
• Medical Image Analysis
• +7 more

Dr. Jaafar Alghazo is an Associate Professor in the Math, Science and Technology Department at the University of Minnesota. He currently teaches courses in Information Technology Management and Software Engineering, including ITM 3900-E90: Internship, SE 2200-001: Intro to Software Engineering, and SE 4500-001: Senior Project I. Research Focus: Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Medical Image Analysis, Cybersecurity, IoT, UAV Communications Key Publication Trends: 15 most recent works span 2025–2023, emphasizing neural network optimization, Arabic sign language recognition, flood detection, and secure medical imaging techniques

Jianqiao LengView profile

Researcher

• Geological Carbon Storage
• Enhanced Oil Recovery
• Fluid Dynamics
• +3 more

Dr. Jianqiao Leng is a Research Scientist Associate III at the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin. His work focuses on subsurface fluid dynamics, geological carbon storage, and enhanced oil recovery techniques. Position: Fluid Flow Modeler Email: jianqiao.leng@beg.utexas.edu His research integrates geological modeling with machine learning to assess hydrogen storage risks, CO2 sequestration capacity, and surfactant/polymer applications in reservoir management. Recent publications highlight his expertise in pore pressure dynamics, interwell connectivity, and conformance control via gel treatments. Key article trends include: Geological carbon storage security Hydrogen leakage through abandoned wells Machine learning for reservoir characterization Wastewater injection impacts on seismicity Surfactant/polymer flooding optimization 3D state variable prediction

Friedrich BoeingView profile

Researcher

• Hydrology
• Climate Change Impact Assessment
• Drought Monitoring
• +3 more

Friedrich Boeing is a Researcher at the Department of Hydrosystem Modeling in the Computational Hydrosystems unit of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research − UFZ in Leipzig, Germany. He is simultaneously pursuing his PhD at the University of Potsdam under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sabine Attinger, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wagener, and Dr. Andreas Marx. PhD Candidate: University of Potsdam University: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research − UFZ Department: Hydrosystem Modeling His research focuses on drought quantification , water resource monitoring , and climate change impact assessment for Germany. He develops high-resolution drought indicators and leads knowledge transfer through the WIS-D project , collaborating with stakeholders across water sectors. Recent publications highlight his expertise in soil moisture dynamics , hydrological modeling , and climate-water interactions . His work appears in journals like Environmental Research Letters and Hydrology and Earth System Sciences . Key Projects: WIS-D, CLIMALERT, HOKLIM Collaborations: University of Potsdam, ICOS network, Zenodo data repository

• Seismic Hazard Assessment
• Earthquake Risk Modeling
• Natural Disaster Risk Analysis
• +5 more

L. Oostwegel is a Researcher at GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, working within the Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics department. The researcher specializes in earthquake exposure modeling, building stock characterization, and multi-hazard risk assessment using geospatial data and open-source information. Oostwegel's research focuses on seismic hazard and risk assessment, with particular emphasis on building exposure modeling using OpenStreetMap and remote sensing data. Key research areas include earthquake risk modeling, flood risk assessment, landslide risk management, and the development of tools for multi-hazard risk assessment. The researcher has made significant contributions to understanding building stock characteristics at various scales, from individual buildings to global assessments. Analysis of recent publications reveals a strong focus on utilizing volunteered geographic information and Earth observation datasets for risk assessment. Oostwegel has developed methods for assessing the completeness of OpenStreetMap building data globally and has created tools like 'risk-calculator' for multi-hazard risk assessments. The research shows an interdisciplinary approach combining geophysics, geospatial analysis, and disaster risk reduction. Top-down or bottom-up in earthquake exposure modeling (2025) Safe Haven – Landslides: A Serious Game for Enhancing Risk Awareness (2025) A model of European buildings (2024) From Shelters to Skyscrapers: Worldwide Building Exploration (2024) Seismic loss assessment sensitivity study (2023) Oostwegel has collaborated extensively with researchers including Evaz Zadeh, T., Schorlemmer, D., and others across multiple projects focused on natural disaster risk assessment. The research has practical applications in urban planning, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation strategies, particularly for coastal megacities and areas prone to seismic activity.