Marta Vicarelli

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I have a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy and in the Department of Economics. My research focuses on: (i) the risks and the socio-economic impacts of climate variability and climate change; (ii) the economics of Nature-based Solutions; (ii) renewable energy policy; and (iv) the design of climate vulnerability-reduction instruments, such as weather-indexed insurance programs. 

since Jan 2013        

• Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Education

• 2011 - Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, Columbia University

• 2005 - Master International Affairs, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs

• 2003 - M.A. Environmental Economics, École Polytechnique, Paris, France

• 2002 - B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France

Appointments

• 2020–present: Principal Investigator, Sustainable Policy Lab (SUP Lab, University of Massachusetts Amherst)       

• 2023–present: Research Associate Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change and University Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy          

• 2009-2019: Visiting Professor,  Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA)  Sciences Po., Paris, France 

• May 2011 - Dec 2012: Postdoctoral Research Associate - Climate and Energy Institute, Yale University 

• 2008-2011: Adjunct Faculty - Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs

• 2010-2011: Sustainability Science Fellow - Harvard University, Center for International Development, Sustainability Science Program 

• 2009-2010: Giorgio Ruffolo Fellow - Harvard University, Center for International Development, Sustainability Science Program              

• 2006-2010:  Researcher - Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), Columbia University

• 2004-2010:  Research Fellow - NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies, New York with a fellowship sponsored by the Earth Institute of Columbia University    

• 2008: Peccei Research Fellow - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria

• 2007: Young Research Fellow - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria 

• 2004: Environmental Policy Consultant - United Nations Development Program, Trinidad and Tobago 

• 2003: Consultant OECD, Paris Conducted Survey Firm Level Economic Efficiency and Environmental Policies, and co-authored report to OECD and French Ministry of the Environment. 

Other Professional Activity

• 2024–present, Member of the Advisory Board, City of Boston’s “The Greater Boston Coastal Resilience Jobs Alliance”. The Alliance is an initiative of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet of the City of Boston.

• 2020–present, Co-Founder and Co-Director, United Nations Global Sustainable Solutions Winter School. Partnerships between University of Massachusetts Amherst, McMaster University (Canada), United Nations University, United Nations Environment Programme, PEDRR.

• 2018–present, Associate researcher, Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) - global alliance of UN agencies, NGOs and specialist institutes.

• 2021–present, Member, Executive Team of the UMass Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience.

• 2008–2010,  Founding President, Columbia University Sustainable Development Doctoral Society (SDDS). This organization serves as a forum for discussion on Sustainable Development and promotes linkages between academia, the private sector and policy makers. SDDS was awarded the Columbia University President’s and Provost’s Student Initiative Fund in 2009, and the Graduate Students Advisory Board Award in 2009, 2010. 

Service

• 2023 Invited discussant, Disaster Resilience Discussions organized by the National Academy of Public Administration

• 2023 Reported findings of research on coastal resilience to the American Planning Association (APA)

• 2020-present, Member, UMass Amherst cross-campus Sustainability Strategy Working Group.

• 2023-2024, Fellow, University of Massachusetts Amherst ADVANCE Program

• 2020-2022, Affiliated Faculty, UMass Data Analytics Computational Social Science program.

Activity Other Affiliations

• 2004-2007:  Contributing author, Working Group II -  Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) 4th Assessment Report