Tropical Cyclone Risk and Resilience

Jennifer Collins is a Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on weather, climate, and society. As a hurricane researcher, Dr. Collins is interested in the interaction between large scale climatic patterns such as the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Madden - Julian Oscillation and seasonal and intraseasonal patterns of tropical cyclone activity in multiple oceanic basins. She is currently studying the environmental factors influencing the interannual and intraseasonal variation of hurricane activity in the eastern North Pacific and Atlantic oceans. As well as her work in the physical sciences, she also works in the social sciences as she examines human behavior relating to hurricane evacuation, with a series of papers related to how COVID-19 impacted hurricane evacuation decisions. In addition to her hurricane research, Dr. Collins works in other areas related to weather, climate, and hazards. She works closely on projects with the National Weather Service involving tornadoes and fog. In addition, she collaborates with international researchers and works in the area of climate change. Dr. Collins is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and Fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

James Done is Deputy Director of the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He is also Senior Academic Fellow of the Willis Research Network. His climate research extends across a range of extreme weather and climate phenomena. His focus is on understanding the multi-scale physical processes and predictability of extreme events. His strong connections with risk managers in the reinsurance and water sectors enriches his science and ensures societal relevance. In recognition of his reputation as a leader in the field, he was recently invited to testify before the U.S. Congress on extreme weather in a changing climate. Dr. Done received his PhD in Meteorology from the University of Reading, UK in 2003.

Yi-Jie Zhu is an assistant professor of climate science in the Department of Geoscience at Florida Atlantic University. He has been actively studying the spatial and temporal patterns of the tropical cyclone post-landfall intensity decay process. His work involves both observational and model simulations to investigate the physical factors, including the impact of changing climate, that contribute to the destructive wind footprint from hurricanes as they move inland. Yijie is the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the University of South Florida and also the Gilbert White Dissertation Award from the Hazards, Risks and Disasters Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. Yijie is also a former vice president of the West Central Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.