Jocelyn West

Jocelyn West is a research social scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a graduate research affiliate with the Natural Hazards Center, and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research interests include risk communication, social vulnerability to natural hazards, and community engagement in disaster risk reduction. Her dissertation research focuses on the social dimensions of landslides in Puerto Rico, centering rural community experiences with compound hazards. Supported by the Public Health Disaster Research Award Program, West has led interdisciplinary team research about population exposure and the public health implications of landslides in Puerto Rico. At the Center, West coordinated the multi-year Puerto Rico Landslide Hazard Mitigation Project in collaboration with the USGS and the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. She also co-developed a CONVERGE Training Module on the topic of Reciprocity in Hazards and Disaster Research.

West's professional experience spans disaster management and geological science, focusing on disaster risk and recovery. She has previously worked to improve risk communication with the World Bank, conducted earthquake research in Nepal, and participated in disaster response in Texas and Puerto Rico. She has worked internationally in Singapore, Indonesia, Dominica, and Peru. West holds a MA in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor's degree in geological science and education policy from Brown University.