Austin Becker, PhD

Dr. Austin Becker is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. As an interdisciplinary scientist, he works across the fields of planning, policy, engineering, and ocean science. He creates and tests tools that help decision makers engage with complex problems involving uncertainty, consequences of natural hazards and large-scale shifts in climate, and the resulting challenges in policy and planning. This includes communicating storm impacts to emergency managers; perceptions of climate change amongst port administrators (globally); impacts of hurricanes on port communities; barriers to resilience investing at northeast ports; and vulnerability assessments undertaken by US ports. He has received funding from DHS, USACE, DOD, Dept. of Transportation and has worked directly with numerous industry groups.

Dr. Becker serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Maritime Policy and Management and co-editor of the book Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Ports. He serves as an expert member of the United Nations Expert Group on Climate Adaptation for Transport. In 2020, he was appointed as Visiting Fellow at the US Naval War College, where he undertakes research on hazard impacts to Naval Station Newport and the surrounding municipalities. Dr. Becker has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and in 2017 was awarded the prestigious Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences. He earned a PhD in Environment and Resources at Stanford University and maintains a 500 Ton USCG Captain’s License.

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