Melissa Finucane

Dr. Finucane trained as a social and behavioral scientist and brings more than 25 years of experience in non-profit research, education, and outreach organizations. Her interdisciplinary and policy-oriented research focuses on understanding the human dimensions of environmental health risks. She is recognized as an international expert on the perception and communication of risk and uncertainty related to climate resilience and disaster recovery. She integrates her social and behavioral science expertise with other sciences, advancing evidence-based and equitable solutions to the most pressing environmental and health challenges in underserved areas in the U.S. and globally. Her work has been supported with funding from diverse sources (e.g., U.S. federal agencies such as the NSF, NIH, NOAA, and FEMA; global organizations such as the World Health Organization; and foundations such as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative). Prior to joining Stony Brook University, Dr. Finucane was Vice President of Science and Innovation at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She worked previously at RAND Corporation and the East-West Center, where she led multiple use-inspired research and outreach programs aimed at increasing the uptake of robust evidence in public and private decision-making processes. She currently holds adjunct positions at RAND and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Finucane has advised government policy makers at federal, state, and local levels and local community organizations and businesses on: climate-change resilience and disaster mitigation/recovery planning and evaluation; the roles of institutions and information systems in improving regional environmental risk management capabilities; the state of natural resources (water, land, forests, biological reserves) and critical built infrastructure (telecommunications, energy, transport, water) and implications for domestic and global security; and integrated risk assessments related to climate extremes, emerging diseases, and rapid urbanization.