My research generally falls under the following categories:

Informed Decision-Making with Forecast Information: This research area focuses primarily on the ways people receive and understand forecast and warning information, perceive and personalize risk, evaluate their options for responding, and ultimately make decisions. As a geographer with a strong background in psychology/risk decision science, I am especially interested in the ways individuals’ spatial reasoning and place attachment shape these perceptions and decisions. I am also interested in understanding the ways the entire communication system supports informed decision-making, especially of vulnerable populations.

Issues in the Communication of Forecast Uncertainty: This research area connects with the former by virtue of the growing body of research that demonstrates the positive impact forecast uncertainty information has on informed decision-making. I work alongside CIMMS and NSSL researchers and operational meteorologists as they develop probabilistic guidance/tools across various spatio-temporal scales, and develop/execute experiments to test these technologies with end-users in the Hazardous Weather Testbed. Additionally, I conduct experiments with the U.S. public to evaluate the potential for these new technologies to improve their decisions. Finally, I provide strategic guidance for the FACETs (Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats) program, which is designed to reinvigorate the way the National Weather Service generates and communicates forecast likelihood for all hazards.