Speaker – Gregory Characklis, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, W. R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Director – Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems (host – G. Lackmann) Zoom

Seminar Title – Assessing and Managing the Financial Risks of Extreme Events

Bio – Prof. Characklis’ primary research interests involve the evaluation of financial risk arising from a range of natural hazards, including flood, drought, extreme temperatures/wind, and infectious disease outbreaks, and then developing new tools and strategies for managing these risks. This research involves systems-based modeling that integrates consideration of scientific, engineering and economic principles, with increasing attention to the use of advanced data analytics and machine learning. In addition to his faculty appointment, Dr. Characklis serves as the Director of UNC’s Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation, a pan-campus entity supported by roughly 40 industry partners from the insurance, reinsurance and financial sectors. The Institute also conducts research on projects funded by NSF, DOE and the state of North Carolina, including efforts to quantify and manage the financial risks of variable environmental conditions on economic sectors such as water utilities, power utilities, agriculture, inland navigation (e.g., Mississippi River), healthcare, and real estate. Dr. Characklis serves on the editorial board of Water Security, and has previously served as an Associate Editor with Water Resources Research.