Carson MacPherson-Krutsky is a research associate at the Natural Hazards Center and Boise State University, sharing her positions equally. She holds a bachelor’s from Western Washington University, a master’s from the University of Montana, and a PhD from Boise State University. Her research incorporates social science methods to investigate what motivates people to take protective actions and assess which types of risk communication styles are most effective at encouraging people to prepare.
MacPherson-Krutsky joined the Natural Hazards Center in the fall of 2021. Her work involves developing interactive trainings for practitioners that focus on risk communication best practices with specific emphasis on socially vulnerable populations. This work is in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and builds upon existing Natural Hazard Center resources.
She is also the co-founder of the Boise State Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute, whose mission is to connect researchers, students, and community partners to address community resilience research and practical needs collaboratively. In addition, MacPherson-Krutsky is the co-owner of HazardReady, LLC, which provides personalized risk and preparedness information via easy-to-use websites.
MacPherson-Krutsky is also interested in creating multimedia products (e.g., infographics, websites, videos, workshops) that convey complex or technical information in engaging and user-friendly ways. She is passionate about making connections across disciplines, sectors, and community members to ensure that the science we do can help support real-world decision-making in communities of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.