Research

My research focuses on the design and translation of administrative law and policy for equitable climate adaptation. Equity and environmental justice commitments frequently encounter bottlenecks when translated into administrative choices, such as: which social vulnerabilities residents recognize as meriting prioritization, which funding regulations subnational governments need to navigate, and how federal agencies identify and measure who benefits from public investments. These technical choices are critical in determining who can understand, access, implement, and evaluate equitable climate adaptation policy.

My future research and policy/planning work will continue to focus on how to:

Treat administrative complexity as an equity and justice problem: identify who bears the learning, compliance, and psychological costs of climate adaptation policies.
“Unsubmerge” distributional choices: explicitly name which populations a policy is designed to benefit, explain why, and make laws/rulemaking related to eligibility, funding, & reporting more legible.
Build durable, coordinated federal capacity: create interagency "cumulative impacts reduction" goals that sync across existing disaster management, affordable and healthy housing, environmental protection, and climate resilience strategies – via White House executive orders, agency rulemaking, and new statutory mandates.

Justice40 Implementation among U.S. Federal Climate Climate Adaptation Financial Assistance Programs

Focus: Traced how federal climate adaptation programs during the Biden Administration translated the Justice40 target into program rules, metrics, and practices.

Findings: Federal agencies’ existing program
architecture shaped Justice40’s reach

Existing program design and statutory authority strongly shaped implementation. New or competitive grant programs could embed Justice40 in selection criteria (but did not do so
uniformly) – while project-based, insurance-based, or state-discretionary programs had far less room to do so.
Unclear White House guidance and insufficient reporting infrastructure compounded inconsistencies across agencies and programs.

The Impact of Multi-Level Funding Structures on Flood Relocation Programs in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic

Focus: Mapped how funding sources, program rules, and data systems shaped historical and emerging flood relocation (i.e., buyout) programs in New Jersey and New York.

Findings: Funding flexibility created rule complexity; data gaps obscured outcomes

Permanent, “blue-skies” relocation programs were able to build capacity that short-term, post-disaster programs could not. But mixed state/federal funding also multiplied eligibility,
appraisal, incentive, and reporting rules.
Across programs, fragmented property-level data also made outcomes difficult to evaluate.
Funding flexibility therefore requires permanent
staff, coordinated rules, and intentional data stewardship.

A Comparison of Urban Residents’ & Local Officials' Environmental Justice Preferences in Climate Adaptation Flood Policy

Focus: Surveyed residents in five global cities to compare how they understood social vulnerability and their preferences for equity-focused flood adaptation policies

Findings: Public intuitions diverged from established vulnerability frameworks

Across all five studied cities, residents recognized poverty, disability, age, and informal housing as social identities associated with
higher flood vulnerability, but often overlooked racial/ethnic minorities, women, and Queer residents. Policies focused on renters and minority neighborhoods also had comparatively
weaker support.
Survey findings suggest that equity-focused
policies must explicitly identify who they prioritize and why.

Collaborative Governance of the USACE NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (NYNJHATS)

I am conducting a detailed case study and assessment of the (limited) collaborative governance, community engagement efforts, and environmental justice structures embedded within the Army Corps of Engineers’ NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Feasibility Study and subsequent Actionable Elements Draft Feasibility Report. Triangulated case study methods include: 1) timeline documentation and stakeholder mapping; 2) content analysis of FOIA-requested public comments during the 2022-2023 open period and secondary summer 2025 open period; 3) a pre/post-evaluation of a scientific convening; 4) and recommendations for improving the current NYNJHATS EJ analysis methods.