
Center On Financial Risk in Environmental Systems (CoFiRES)
People

Philip C. Singer Distinguished Professor,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: charack@email.unc.edu
Website: https://gregcharacklis.web.unc.edu//
Director, Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems

Associate Director, Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems, Adjunct Assistant Professor,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State
Contact: jkern@ncsu.edu
Website: https://kern.wordpress.ncsu.edu//
Projects
Biofuels "Designing Future Sustainable Algal Biofuel Production Facilities."
Catawba Basin “Evaluating the Physical and Financial Vulnerabilities of Power Systems to Drought in the Southeastern U.S.”
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Biofuels "Designing Future Sustainable Algal Biofuel Production Facilities."
Catawba Basin “Evaluating the Physical and Financial Vulnerabilities of Power Systems to Drought in the Southeastern U.S.”
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Administrative Staff

Administrative Assistant, Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: zgleason@email.unc.edu
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Projects
Catawba Basin “Evaluating the Physical and Financial Vulnerabilities of Power Systems to Drought in the Southeastern U.S.”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Catawba Basin “Evaluating the Physical and Financial Vulnerabilities of Power Systems to Drought in the Southeastern U.S.”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”

Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: zeff@live.unc.edu
Website: http://hbzeff.web.unc.edu/
Projects
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Galveston Bay “Decision-Making After an Environmental Emergency: Impacts and mitigation of environmental emergency-related contamination events across the-to-outcome continuum”
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Galveston Bay “Decision-Making After an Environmental Emergency: Impacts and mitigation of environmental emergency-related contamination events across the-to-outcome continuum”
Graduate Students

Doctoral Student,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: rbaum@email.unc.edu
Website: http://rachelbaum.web.unc.edu/
Project
U.S. Water Utilities “Risk pooling to mitigate drought-related financial losses for water utilities”
U.S. Water Utilities “Risk pooling to mitigate drought-related financial losses for water utilities”

Doctoral Student,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: fbenjami@live.unc.edu
Website: http://benfoster.web.unc.edu/
Project
Mississippi Basin “Characterizing and managing the financial risks of drought along the Mississippi River”
Mississippi Basin “Characterizing and managing the financial risks of drought along the Mississippi River”

Doctoral Student,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: degorelick@unc.edu
Project
Research Triangle "Integrating Raw Water Transfers Into an Eastern United States Management Context"
Research Triangle "Integrating Raw Water Transfers Into an Eastern United States Management Context"

Doctoral Student,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: andrew.hamilton@unc.edu
LinkedIn page
Project
Central Valley "The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water Supply Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Opportunities in California’s Coupled Agricultural and Energy Sectors"
Central Valley "The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water Supply Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Opportunities in California’s Coupled Agricultural and Energy Sectors"
Projects
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Central Valley “The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”

Masters Student,
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: rkleiman@live.unc.edu
LinkedIn page

Masters Student, Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: jehill17@live.unc.edu
LinkedIn page
Project
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”

Masters Student, Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact: rcuppari@live.unc.edu
LinkedIn page
Project
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Undergraduate Researcher
Project
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”
Columbia Basin “Leveraging Natural Resource Concentration and Conveyance in the Energy Water Food Nexus to Increase Security and Resilience”