Research

My research focuses on the application of complex systems methods, in particular agent-based modeling and network analysis, to problems of climate change resilience and adaptation, in particular in the Nile Basin of East Africa.  Below are descriptions of projects I am currently working on; for information about specific publications, see my CV.

DREAM

The Distributed Renewable Energy-Agriculture Modalities (DREAM) project involves the provision of solar mini-grid powered irrigation to several villages in rural Ethiopia.  Two waves of a household survey have been conducted at these sites and several others, as well as a network survey that I was responsible for designing and implementing.  More information about this work can be found here, on the website of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project.  You can see me helping to test the network survey along with one of our fantastic enumerators below.

Measuring Fragility in South Sudan

In 2025 I joined a team at Duke that is working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to study the multidimensional aspects of fragility in South Sudan.  The project has involved multiple household surveys, including questions on climate change perceptions and environmental risks.  I helped with a draft report for this project and plan on incorporating the data into my dissertation, alongside data from the DREAM project (see above).

Agent-Based Models

I am currently working with a group of statisticians led by Professor Simon Mak in the Duke University Department of Statistics to develop better methods to analyze the output of agent-based models.  Our work focuses on the application of policy optimization and tuning problems to these models, which can help to capture non-equilibrium system properties and complex behaviors better than traditional, closed-form mathematical models.