Session 1: Next Generation Oil Spill Researchers Kickoff

Introducing the Next Generation Oil Spill Researchers Initiative
An oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill lingers off the Mississippi Delta on May 24, 2010. Source: Shutterstock.

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
Time: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET

Register for Session 1

Webinar Description

This session will welcome participants to the Next Generation Oil Spill Researchers Interactive Webinar Series. Admiral Thad Allen, who served as national incident commander for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will provide opening remarks and emphasize the importance of a coordinated, community-centered research response. He will be followed by Lauren Alexander Augustine, who serves as executive director of the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program (GRP). She will describe the motivation for this initiative and how it connects to the other many activities of the GRP. After the opening remarks, participants will learn from the Natural Hazards Center team about future sessions and speakers in the webinar series, the LinkedIn group, and resources available through this initiative. Ample time will be dedicated to Q&A and discussion.

This webinar will be recorded and posted on the Natural Hazards Center website after the event. You can learn more about the Next Generation Oil Spill Researchers community of practice here. Please remember to sign up for future webinars and free resources here.

Speakers

Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard, former. Thad Allen retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2010 as the Coast Guard’s 23rd commandant. Prior to his service as commandant, he served as Coast Guard chief of staff. His other Coast Guard assignments include Atlantic Area commander and commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District. In 2010, Allen was selected to serve as national incident commander for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the waters along the Gulf coast. After retiring from the Coast Guard, he was executive vice president and formerly senior executive advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Lauren Alexander Augustine, The National Academies' Gulf Research Program. Lauren Alexander Augustine is executive director of the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, overseeing use of criminal settlement funds from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Since joining the National Academies in 2002, she has held leadership roles spanning water, natural disasters, and resilience, including director of the Resilient America Program. She has served on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Risk and Resilience and is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expert for the Civil Protection Group. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia and a PhD from Harvard University.
Natural Hazards Center Team Members

Learning Outcomes

  • Learn about the vision and inspiration for the Next Generation Oil Spill Researcher Webinar Series.
  • Gain an overview of upcoming webinars, networking opportunities, and available resources.
  • Understand the structure and purpose of the webinar series.
  • Recognize possibilities for integrating physical and social sciences to study community impacts in the event of a future oil spill of national significance in the Gulf.

Prepare Ahead

Additional Suggested Readings and Resources

The Next Generation Oil Spill Researchers Community of Practice is funded by the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (Award #SCON-10001452). Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations produced through this initiative are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gulf Research Program or Natural Hazards Center.