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Cities, Settlements and Infrastructure - Tolerance of Extreme Risk

Tracks
Thursday Stream 2
Thursday, October 16, 2025
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
James Hay Theatre (live streaming)

Speaker

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Miss Nohah Forde
Phd Candidate
University of Canterbury

Facilitator

Biography

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Dr Vivienne Ivory
Technical Principal
WSP

How much more? The role of previous experience for tolerance to cumulative flooding impacts and adaptation

1:30 PM - 1:45 PM

Abstract

Biography

Vivienne is a Technical Principal, Social Science, Resilience and Public Health at WSP’s Research & Innovation Centre. Her research starts from the question – ‘if I reside here, how do I live well? She is a leading researcher in public-funded research addressing the determinants of health and wellbeing, including floods.
Dr Michael Rendall
Director, Maryland Population Research Center and Professor of Sociology
University of Maryland

The impacts of historically-extreme coastal flooding events in India on urban older persons’ household moves and multi-generational family intactness

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM

Abstract

Biography

Michael Rendall is Director of the Maryland Population Research Center and Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. He researches human impacts of climate disasters, including extreme flooding events in coastal India working with Drs. Sonalde Desai and Sharan Sharma, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
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Sara Hughes
Senior Policy Researcher
RAND Corporation

Urban transformations to address stormwater flooding: Navigating governance gaps

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Abstract

Biography

Sara Hughes is a senior policy researcher at RAND and adjunct professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating effective and equitable solutions to water, climate change, and environmental policy problems from the local to the global.
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Ms Melissa Tier
PhD Candidate
Princeton University

An international comparison of environmental justice preferences in urban climate adaptation flood policy

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

Abstract

Biography

Melissa Tier is a PhD candidate at the Princeton School of Public & International Affairs. She researches climate adaptation and environmental justice policy – interweaving topics in multi-level governance, urban planning, and decision sciences. She also holds an MSc in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford.
Miss Cara Ross-Donald
Consultant Analyst
ResOrgs

Let’s talk about risk tolerance: eliciting and integrating a community’s willingness and capacity to bear risk into risk management decisions

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Abstract

Supporting Material

Biography

Cara has expertise in communications, community development, decision-making, and risk and resilience. She holds a Master's degree in Disaster Risk and Resilience, with additional qualifications in Media and Communications. Cara is passionate about how we communicate hazards, particularly the ethical implications of disaster messaging, and improving access to scientific knowledge.
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Miss Madison Zegeer
PhD Candidate
University of Canterbury

Adapting to climate uncertainty: Flexible hydropower and hydrogen storage strategies for a robust New Zealand grid

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Biography

Madison Zegeer is a PhD Candidate at the University of Canterbury, working within the Sustainable Research Group (SERG). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Master of Engineering Studies with a specialization in Renewable Energy. Madison's research focuses on uncertainty modelling in energy transitions and robust decision-making.
Prof Dave Frame
Professor Of Physics
University of Canterbury

Facilitator

Biography

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