Katy Serafin

Katy Serafin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, affiliated with the Florida Climate Institute and the UF Water Institute. Her research focuses on coastal hazards, extreme sea levels, and climate adaptation. She holds a PhD in Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences from Oregon State University and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University's Department of Geophysics.

Her interdisciplinary research combines observational data with statistical and numerical models to study coastal flooding drivers, compound flood risks, and community resilience. Key projects include assessing atmospheric river impacts in California, developing scalable flood risk frameworks, and analyzing extreme water level dynamics along US coastlines.

Funded projects (2020-2027) include NOAA-supported studies on total water level variability and USACE-funded research on flood transition zones. She advises four doctoral and one master's student, and teaches courses like 'Living with Rising Seas' and 'Water Risk and Extreme Events.'

Her work emphasizes equity in flood mitigation, traffic disruption resilience, and policy-relevant climate adaptation strategies. Collaborations span academia, government agencies (e.g., NOAA, USGS), and international institutions.