UCCRN: Urban Climate Change Research Network

The Global Management team

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Head of Climate Impacts research group, NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies (New York City)

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig's primary research involves the development of interdisciplinary methodologies by which to assess the potential impacts of and adaptations to global environmental change. She has joined impact models with global climate models (GCMs) to predict future outcomes of both land-based and urban systems under altered climate conditions. Advances include the development of climate change scenarios for impact analysis, and the application of impact models at relevant spatial and temporal scales for regional and national assessments. Recognizing that the complex interactions engendered by global environmental change can best be understood by coordinated teams of experts, Dr. Rosenzweig has organized and led large-scale interdisciplinary, national, and international studies of climate change impacts and adaptation. She is the Co-Leader of the Metropolitan East Coast Regional Assessment of the U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, sponsored by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. She leads the Climate Impacts research group at the Goddard Institute of Space Studies, whose mission is to investigate the interactions of climate (both variability and change) on systems and sectors important to human well-being.
Source: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/crosenzweig.html

Dr. Stephen Hammer, Director, Urban Energy Project, Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, Columbia University (New York City)

Dr. Stephen A. Hammer is Director of the Urban Energy Project at Columbia University's Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy. Dr. Hammer researches and supports energy policymaking efforts in cities, and teaches graduate seminars on urban energy systems and distributed energy technologies. Dr. Hammer regularly lectures on environmental and energy topics around the US, Europe, and China, and has published articles and opinion pieces in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, The Scotsman, and other international publications. In 2006, Dr. Hammer completed a comparison of energy policymaking practices in New York City and London, portions of which will be published this year in Urban Energy Transition (Elsevier Press). Dr. Hammer provides research, regulatory, technical and project management support to public and private sector organizations, including President George H.W. Bush's Commission on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. National Park Service, and the City of New York. Dr. Hammer holds a PhD in Urban Planning from the London School of Economics, a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Davis.
Source: http://sipa.columbia.edu/academics/directory/sh2185-fac.html

Dr. William Solecki, Director, Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York (New York City)

As director of the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities, William Solecki's research focuses on urban environmental change, urban land use and suburbanization. A professor in the Geography Department at Hunter College, he is presently co-chair of Mayor Bloomberg's New York City Panel on Climate Change. Dr. Solecki has served on the U.S. National Research Council's Special Committee on Problems in the Environment. He has also served as the co-leader of the Metropolitan East Coast Assessment of Impacts of Potential Climate Variability and Change. He currently is a member of the International Geographical Union Megacity Study Group and the International Human Dimensions Programme, Urbanization and Global Environmental Change Scientific Steering Committee and is a co-founder of UCCRN. Dr. Solecki holds a BA in Geography from Columbia University and an MA and PhD in geography from Rutgers University.
Email: wsolecki@hunter.cuny.edu

Shagun Mehrotra, Faculty fellow, Columbia University (New York City)

Shagun’s research and policy advice focuses on infrastructure economics, climate and cities, and slums. The President of India recently launched his book Bankruptcy to Billions: How the Indian Railways Transformed, Oxford University Press 2009, (with Sudhir Kumar, and a forward by the Prime Minister of India). With NASA research scientists at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Shagun is crafting a global institutional structure for a programmatic approach to incorporate climate risk into city development, where he serves as the Managing Director of Climate and Cities. Previously, he was on the staff of the World Bank working on infrastructure reforms in Africa. His advice has been sought by national and local governments in Asia and Africa, as well as The Gates Foundation. He is the author of numerous publications and is a coordinating lead author for the “Mayors’ IPCC” a project of Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN). He has a Masters of Science from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, and graduated from School of International and Public Affairs with a Masters of International Affairs, Columbia University and is presently completing his doctoral research at Columbia University.
Email: svm2103@columbia.edu
http://www.shagunmehrotra.org

Joe Gilbride, Project Manager, CCSR, NASA GISS, and Columbia University

Joe Gilbride is the Project Manager of the International Panel on Climate Change in Cities (IPC3) First Assessment Report and the Climate and Cities Program at Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), NASA GISS and Columbia University. Prior to his return to New York he worked for two years on microfinance for Small Enterprise Development in Cameroon, and has over 3 years of experience in private sector while he was based out of Boston and later in Ohio. Mr. Gilbride has a Masters of Public Administration with a specialization in Urban Policy and Environmental Policy from School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Mr. Gilbride received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Boston University.
Email: jmg2172@columbia.edu

Young-Jin, Research Assistant, CCSR, NASA GISS, and Columbia University

Young-Jin is currently serving as a research assistant to the authors of Urban land-use and Transportation chapters for the First UCCRN Assessment Report on Climate Change in Cities (ARC3). He is also the Communications and Outreach Coordinator of the Climate and Cities Program at Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), NASA GISS and Columbia University. Young-Jin graduated with Master's in Climate and Society from Columbia University and B.A. in Economics from UMASS Amherst. He is interested in integrating climate-risk information into economic and social development plans of urban cities, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region.
Email: yk2369@columbia.edu

Somayya Ali, Research Assistant, CCSR, NASA GISS, and Columbia University

Somayya Ali is currently involved in developing the new NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Climate and Cities program, and in working with lead authors of the First UCCRN ARC3 with a focus on Urban Climate Risks and Energy and Buildings. Recently graduating with a Master’s in Climate and Society from Columbia University, Somayya has also received a B.Sc. in Management Sciences and an MBA. Her main interest lies in integrating microfinance into climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction initiatives, to reduce the vulnerability of the poor to environmental impacts.
Email: somayya.ali@gmail.com

Steve Solecki, Intern, NASA GISS, and Hunter College

Steve is currently working as an intern in association with the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies and Hunter College. He currently is a third year undergraduate student at Long Island University, C.W. Post, pursuing a B.S. degree in Environmental Science along with a minor in Chemistry. In the future he plans on attending graduate school and pursuing a M.S. in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in either Environmental Management or Environmental Law. For the First UCCRN Assessment Report on Climate Change in Cities (ARC3), Steve has been working with authors of the Climate Change and Human Health in Cities chapter, helping to coordinate and format case studies, and also contributing case studies to the report.
Email: stevesolecki@optonline.net