Team Members

Current Members

  • Dr. Jon Nelson, Research Associate III -  Dr. Jon Nelson works in the Marine Affairs Coastal Resilience Lab on several ongoing projects. Jon is originally from a Kansas farming family but has called Rhode Island my home for ten years. He completed a BA in Sociology at the University of Kansas and then moved to Providence to enroll at Brown University where he earned his […]
  • Rosemarie Fusco, PhD Candidate - Research: Regulatory Overlay Zones for Ports and Harbors, Waterfront Community Spatial PlanningBackground: Pratt Institute, BA History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture, Design, and Art, 2007European Joint program (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Polytechnic University of Catalunya, City, University of London) Master’s in Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management, 2016 Rosemarie is a certified planner […]
  • Nicole Lengyel Costa, PhD Candidate - Research: Resilience of the Commercial Fishing Industry in the Port of Galilee, RI, to compounding Climatic and Social Pressures Background: I am a Rhode Island native and completed my Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from URI in 2005 and my Master of Science in Oceanography from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. I currently […]
  • Greg Bonynge, Marine Research Associate IV - Greg serves as a lab manager and technical lead for the MACRL lab. In his work, he uses geospatial technologies (Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and remote sensing) to enhance coastal scientific research initiatives, particularly habitat change analyses. His work as the Rhode Island Geospatial Extension Specialist at the University of Rhode […]
  • Noah Hallisey, PhD Candidate - Research: Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, Coastal Resilience, Coastal Hazard Impact Modeling, Disaster Risk Reduction Background: I completed my BS in Environmental Earth Sciences at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2018 and an MSc in Biological and Environmental Sciences at University of Rhode Island in 2021. I also have a graduate certificate in Geographic Information […]
  • Sam Adams, PhD Candidate - Samuel W. Adams is a doctoral student in the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. His research addresses the vulnerability of coastal communities as a function of critical infrastructure dependencies and the cascading consequences of storm hazards. He has a master’s degree in public administration from American Public University and a […]
  • Kyle McElroy, PhD Candidate - Background: University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, 2009 European Joint program (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Polytechnic University of Catalunya, City, University of London) Master’s in Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management, 2016 While I joined the URI Marine Affairs department in the Fall of 2020, my background is formally in coastal […]
  • David Ostwind, PhD Candidate - The Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed David as a Senior Executive serving as the Director of the Planning and Exercises Division within the Response Directorate. The Planning and Exercises Division leads national and regional response planning initiatives such as the National Hurricane Program, conducts FEMA exercises to test and validate concepts of operations, and provides […]

Alumni

  • Bobby Witkop, MAMA 2018 - I am the FEMA Sr. Hazard Mitigation Specialist for Washington State. Previously, I developed Benefit Cost Analyses for state hazard mitigation officers and their constituents to win federal hazard mitigation grants as a contractor. I led a large team to complete approximately 300 Benefit Cost Analyses for Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Georgia Emergency Management […]
  • LCDR David Bourbeau (USCG), MMA 2023 - Degree program: M.M.A. Year accepted: 2022 Research: Marine Transportation System (MTS), Marine Spatial Planning, USCG Waterways Management Background: B.S. Business Administration, URI
  • Benjamin Sweeney, MAMA 2019 - Ben joined the Marine Affairs department in 2017 and researched how port and marine infrastructure engineers are incorporating sea level change (SLC) into the design of piers, terminals, wharves, and other marine civil works. He is primarily interested in how regional uncertainty of SLC, differing guidelines and recommendations for managing SLC, and the long working […]
  • Alanna Casey, PhD 2018 - Alanna Casey is a doctoral student in the Department of Marine Affairs. She is also a Masters candidate in the History Department, specialization in Underwater Archaeology and Anthropology.
  • Peter Stempel, PhD 2019 - Peter Stempel specializes in designing architecture and landscapes that function in harmony with natural systems.
  • Duncan McIntosh, PhD 2019 - R. Duncan McIntosh joins the department of Marine Affairs as a graduate research assistant and PhD student under Assistant Professor Austin Becker.