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The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30, bringing increased potential for destructive storms.<\/p>\n
Florida State University faculty are leaders in the study of forecasting, evacuation, insurance and building resilience against hurricanes. They are available to speak with media through the 2026 hurricane season and beyond.<\/p>\n
Four faculty members answered questions during a virtual media briefing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Forecasting, Formation and Tracking<\/p>\n Mark Bourassa, professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and associate director of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies Chelsea Nam, assistant professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Emily Powell, assistant state climatologist, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies Community Resilience<\/p>\n Pedro L. Fern\u00e1ndez-Cab\u00e1n, assistant professor, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center Katie Kehoe, assistant professor, College of Fine Arts Paul Niell, associate professor, Department of Art History, College of Fine Arts Emergency Management<\/p>\n David Merrick, director of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program; director of the Center for Disaster Risk Policy Environmental Law<\/p>\n Shi-Ling Hsu, D\u2019Alemberte Professor, College of Law Evacuation<\/p>\n Eren Ozguven, associate professor, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, director of the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center Maxim A. Dulebenets, associate professor and graduate program director, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Risk and Insurance<\/p>\n Patricia Born, Payne H. & Charlotte Hodges Midyette Eminent Scholar in Risk Management & Insurance, Herbert Wertheim College of Business Charles Nyce, Dr. William T. Hold Professor of Risk Management and Insurance and chair of the Risk Management\/Insurance, Real Estate & Legal Studies Department, Herbert Wertheim College of Business Public Health<\/p>\n Chris Uejio, professor, Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy Urban Planning<\/p>\n
mbourassa@fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 644-6923
Bourassa uses on-site and remote (aircraft and satellite-based) observations as well as meteorological models to research air-sea interactions and how satellites measure what is happening on Earth\u2019s surface. He is an expert on the network of global meteorological and oceanographic observations that inform forecasts, and the identification of tropical disturbances, which are possible precursors to tropical cyclones. Bourassa is also a team leader for the NASA Ocean Vector Wind Science Team.<\/p>\n
ccnam@fsu.edu<\/a>, (850) 644-1787
Nam researches formations and intensification of tropical cyclones and the hazards brought by these storms. She uses radar data from airborne, shipborne and land-based sources to develop high-resolution models tracking cyclones. Nam is a member of the American Meteorological Society Scientific and Technological Activities Commission Committee on Radar Meteorology.<\/p>\n
epowell@coaps.fsu.edu<\/a>, (850) 644-0719
Powell provides information about the historical and current climate and weather of Florida for application across a range of sectors and industries. Her expertise includes understanding the drivers of seasonal hurricane forecasts, such as the EL Ni\u00f1o\/La Ni\u00f1a cycle, providing historical context, and investigating community risks associated with tropical cyclones. Recent projects have focused on historical climate trends and variability, natural hazards and public health risks, and strategies for building community resilience. She also coordinates the Florida Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a voluntary-based network of citizen scientists measuring and reporting precipitation from their own backyards.<\/p>\n
plfernandez@eng.famu.fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 410-6251
Fern\u00e1ndez-Cab\u00e1n\u2019s research couples laboratory and field experiments to assess the structural performance of civil infrastructure during windstorm events. His recent work focuses on developing state-of-the-art AI and machine learning models to predict hurricane wind fields and their interaction with coastal landscapes. Fern\u00e1ndez-Cab\u00e1n\u2019s research leverages ground-level anemometric datasets collected during landfalling hurricanes and advanced wind tunnel techniques to better model the impact of coastal storms on civil infrastructure.<\/p>\n
mkk22f@fsu.edu<\/a>
Kehoe primarily works in performance and site-specific installations with a focus on natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. She led\u00a0a 2024 project<\/a>\u00a0that honored the resilience of the rural Florida community of Steinhatchee in the aftermath of hurricanes Idalia and Debby. The project, \u201cLearning from Local Experience to Strengthen Disaster Resilience,\u201d was part of a pilot research initiative that examines how rural communities recover from extreme weather events such as hurricanes.<\/p>\n
pniell@fsu.edu<\/a>
Niell\u2019s research focuses on the architectural history and cultural landscapes of the Caribbean. Through his scholarship, he has worked closely with indigenous communities to foster conversation about their traditional architecture and construction methods, designed to be resilient against the region\u2019s intense storms. He has taught courses on Caribbean architecture and culture and is available to discuss how historic building practices helped ensure survival for the region\u2019s Native peoples and how we might be able to apply their knowledge to make our communities more resilient to hurricanes today.<\/p>\n
dmerrick@fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, Office: (850) 644-9961, Cell: (850) 980-7098
Merrick has worked in state emergency management for more than 21 years in roles including planning, external affairs and air operations. He developed and oversees the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program\u2019s Disaster Incident Research Team, which deploys to disaster impact areas to perform field research on disaster and emergency management. This team has deployed to disasters such as hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Michael, Ian, and Helene to support federal, state and local agencies. His research interests include emergency management planning and policy, remote sensing and unmanned aircraft systems, and information technology in emergency management.<\/p>\n
shsu@law.fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 644-0726
Hsu is an expert in the areas of environmental and natural resource law, economics and property. He has published in a variety of legal journals, co-authored the casebook Ocean and Coastal Resources Law and has appeared on the American Public Media radio show \u201cMarketplace.\u201d Before entering academia, he was a senior attorney and economist for the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
eozguven@eng.famu.fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 410-6146
Ozguven directs the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center, which improves the quality of life in Florida and the Southeast by identifying disaster vulnerability, improving infrastructure and investigating ways to minimize negative impacts of natural disasters. His research interests include transportation accessibility, modeling of emergency evacuation operations, artificial intelligence and the simulation of transportation networks. Recent scholarship focuses on the relationships among different infrastructure networks in Florida and how that contributes to disaster preparation.<\/p>\n
mdulebenets@eng.famu.fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 410-6621
Dulebenets\u2019 research mainly focuses on operations\u00a0and optimization. His research group has developed efficient algorithms that can be used to schedule large-scale evacuations in preparation for major natural hazards. His models capture realistic features of emergency evacuation planning, including potential impacts of evacuation settings on evacuees themselves. His recent studies propose new types of optimization models and solution algorithms for emergency evacuation planning under pandemic settings, considering a higher risk of virus spread in overcrowded emergency shelters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
pborn@wertheim.fsu.edu<\/a>, (850) 644-7884
Born studies the insurance market structure and performance, professional liability, health insurance and the management of catastrophic risks, such as hurricanes and other natural disasters. She is a past president of the American Risk and Insurance Association and the Risk Theory Society.<\/p>\n
cnyce@wertheim.fsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0, (850) 645-8392
Nyce\u2019s research focuses on catastrophic risk financing. He has written numerous articles on risk management and insurance topics, including title insurance, enterprise risk management, predictive analytics and natural hazards.<\/p>\n
cuejio@fsu.edu<\/a>
Uejio studies how the physical environment influences human health and well-being. His recent research includes investigations of tropical cyclones, extreme heat and health. Uejio has been quoted in the Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, Wall Street Journal, Science Friday and other news outlets about public health issues, including heat waves and hurricanes.<\/p>\n