NSF HDBE Awards

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment (HDBE) program supports fundamental, multidisciplinary research on the interactions between humans and the built environment within and among communities exposed to natural, technological, and other types of hazards and disasters. This page includes a list of recent NSF awards from the HDBE program and other associated programs at NSF that support research on the human, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of disaster.

2021

Saurabh Bagchi, Purdue University (PI)
NSF Workshop on State-of-the-Art and Challenges in Resilience (NSF Award #1845192)

Divya Chandrasekhar, University of Utah (PI)
Nazife Ganapati, Ivis Garcia Zambrana, and Mark Padilla (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Stakeholder Interdependencies in Post-Disaster Relocation under High Uncertainty (NSF Award #2032838)

Melissa Finucane, Rand Corporation (PI)
Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Tamara Dubowitz, Pamela Waldron-Moore, and Lynsay Ayer (Co-PIs)
How Built and Social Environments Affect COVID-19 Disaster Impacts in the Gulf of Mexico (NSF Award #2048637)

Jennifer Horney, University of Delaware (PI)
Susan Miller and Ruth Fleury (Co-PIs)
Increasing Resilience of Survivor-Centered Social Systems: Adapting to COVID Related Constraints in Access to Services and Built Environment Use Patterns (NSF Award #2115943)

Kevin Loughran, Temple University (PI)
James Elliott (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Urban Flooding and Residential Adaptation (NSF Award #2116479)

Katharine Mach, University of Miami (PI)
Anne Siders and Miyuki Hino (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Floodplain Management in the United States: Where, Why, and How Policies Have Shaped Flood Exposure Outcomes (NSF Award #2034308)

Rebecca Morss, University Corporation For Atmospheric Research (PI)
Paul Roebber (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: An Agent-Based Investigation of Hurricane Evacuation Dynamics: Key Factors, Connections, and Emergent Behaviors (NSF Award #2100801)

Brett Sanders, University of California-Irvine (PI)
John Houston (Co-PIs)
Dynamics and Perceptions of Ultrahazardous Flooding across the Wildland Urban Interface (NSF Award #2031535)

2020

Kristen Cetin, Michigan State University (PI)
Eunshin Byon (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Extreme Heat and Drought on Urban Energy Production and Consumption (NSF Award #2013161)

Rachel Davidson, University of Delaware (PI)
Linda Nozick, Tricia Wachtendorf, Sarah DeYoung, and Jennifer Trivedi (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Leveraging Massive Smartphone Location Data to Improve Understanding and Prediction of Behavior in Hurricanes (NSF Award #2002589)

H. Raghav Rao, University of Texas at San Antonio (PI)
Rui Chen (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Information Technology and Emergency Response Improvisation: An Investigation (NSF Award #2020252)

Lu Zhang, Florida International University (PI)
Nazife Ganapati and Travis Whetsel (Co-PIs)
A Value-Driven Multi-Sector Stakeholder Decision-Making Framework to Support Disaster Resilient Communities (NSF Award #1933345)

Elizabeth Zechmeister, Vanderbilt University (PI)
Barry Levitt and Richard Olson (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Hazard Events, Risk Perception, and Public Support for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas: a 17-Country Study (NSF Award #2019796)

2019

Melike Baykal-Gursoy, Rutgers University New Brunswick (PI)
Predrag Spasojevic and Pernille Hemmer(Co-PIs)
Protecting Soft Targets against Lone Actor Attacks using Game Theory and Immersive Simulations (NSF Award #1901721)

Anamaria Bukvic, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (PI)
Christopher Zobel, Jennifer Irish, and Julie Shortridge (Co-PIs)
Assessing the Impacts of Coastal Flood-Induced Relocation on Local Jurisdictions (NSF Award #1920478)

Thomas Cova, University of Utah (PI)
Timothy Collins, Terri Norton, and Sara Grineski (Co-PIs)
Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards Researchers (NSF Award #1921157)

Aron Culotta, Illinois Institute of Technology (PI)
Collaborative Research: Predicting Real-time Population Behavior During Hurricanes Synthesizing Data from Transportation Systems and Social Media (NSF Award #1917112)

Jack DeWaard, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (PI)
Elizabeth Fussell and Katherine Curtis (Co-PIs)
Extreme Weather Disasters, Economic Losses via Migration, and Widening Spatial Inequality in the U.S. (NSF Award #1850871)

Nasir Gharaibeh, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (PI)
Lei Zou, Francisco Olivera, Garett Sansom, and Michelle Meyer (Co-PIs)
Reducing the Human Impacts of Flash Floods: Development of Microdata and Causal Model to Inform Mitigation and Preparedness (NSF Award #1931301)

Samiul Hasan, University of Central Florida (PI)
Claire Knox and Naveen Eluru (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Predicting Real-time Population Behavior During Hurricanes Synthesizing Data from Transportation Systems and Social Media (NSF Award #1917019)

Shih-Kai Huang, Jacksonville State University (PI)
Hao-Che Wu (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: An Examination of Household Risk Assessment Judgments and Protective Action Decision during Tornado Threats (NSF Award #2023554)

Amy Javernick-Will, University of Colorado at Boulder (PI)
Abbie Liel and Matthew Koschmann (Co-PIs)
Building Capacity for Safer Post-disaster Shelter: Leveraging Local Understanding and Advanced Engineering Assessments (NSF Award #1901808)

Stefan Leyk, University of Colorado Boulder (PI)
Dylan Connor and Anna Braswell (Co-PIs)
The Creeping Disaster along the Coast: Built Environment, Coastal Communities and Population Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise (NSF Award #1924670)

Ward Lyles, University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. (PI)
Elaina Sutley (Co-PI) Assessing the Influence of Hazard Mitigation Planning on Disaster Recovery (NSF Award #1760183)

Michelle Meyer, Texas A&M University Main Campus (PI)
Collaborative Research: Organizational Development, Operations, and New Media Among Civilian Flood-Rescue Groups (NSF Award #1851493)

Brant Mitchell, Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College (PI)
Stuart Nolan (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Organizational Development, Operations, and New Media Among Civilian Flood-Rescue Groups (NSF Award #1851500)

Britt Raubenheimer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (PI)
Conference: Planning and Development of a Nearshore Extreme Event Reconnaissance (NEER); Arlington, Virginia; August 5-6, 2019 (NSF Award #1932775)

Elizabeth Safran, Lewis and Clark College (PI)
Peter Drake, Bryan Sebok, and Erik Nilsen (Co-PIs)
Rehearsing Disaster: Understanding Earthquake Preparedness Behavior in an Interactive Environment (NSF Award #1917148)

Roberto Velez-Velez, SUNY College at New Paltz (PI)
Collaborative Research: Examining Community-based Recovery Initiatives Post-Disaster (NSF Award #1917961)

2018

Burcin Becerik-Gerber, University of Southern California (PI)
Gale Lucas, Erroll Southers, and David Pynadath (Co-PIs)
Impact of Building Design Attributes on Occupant Behavior in Response to Active Shooter Incidents in Offices and Schools (NSF Award #1826443)

Hao-Che Wu, University of North Texas (PI)
Household Risk Perceptions and Hazard Adjustments to Earthquakes in Oklahoma (NSF Award #1827851)

Zhen Cong, University of Texas at Arlington (PI)
A Multi-level Dynamically Coupled Model for Evaluating Older Adults' Vulnerability and Resiliency to Disasters (NSF Award #1839516)

Jing Du, University of Florida (PI)
Collaborative Research: Personalized Systems for Wayfinding for First Responders (NSF Award #1761950)

Debra Laefer, New York University (PI)
Raul Lejano (Co-PI)
US-Ireland Partnership Program: Urban ARK: Assessment, Risk Management, and Knowledge for Flood Management in Urban Areas (NSF Award #1826134)

Betty Lai, Boston College (PI)
Characterizing School Recovery After Disasters: Can We Optimize Academic Recovery? (NSF Award #1929860)

Arghavan Louhghalam, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (PI)
Roshanak Nateghi, Mazdak Tootkaboni and Daniel Chavas (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: A Data-centric Uncertainty-informed Framework for Resilience Analytics of Critical Infrastructure Under Extreme Climate Events (NSF Award #1826155)

Marie Lowe, University of Alaska Anchorage Campus (PI)
Thomas Sharkey, Thomas Birkland, and Emily Berglund (Co-PIs)
NNA/Collaborative Research: Emergency Response in the Arctic (ERA): Investments for Global Capabilities and Local Benefits (NSF Award #1825712)

Lori Peek, University of Colorado Boulder (PI)
CONVERGE: Coordinated Social Science, Engineering, and Interdisciplinary Extreme Events Reconnaissance Research (NSF Award #1841338)

Ranji Ranjithan, North Carolina State University (PI)
Gnanamanikam Mahinthakumar (Co-PI)
Resilience-based Modeling for Water Infrastructure Systems (NSF Award #1763028)

Andrew Rumbach, University of Colorado at Denver-Downtown Campus (PI)
Carrie Makarewicz and Mary Sullivan (Co-PIs)
Collaborative Research: Modeling the Vulnerability of Mobile Home Parks to Disaster: A Longitudinal Study of Affordable Housing Loss After Hurricane Harvey (NSF Award #1825341)

Bruno Takahashi, Michigan State University (PI)
Manuel Chavez (Co-PI)
Infrastructure Collapse and its Effects on News Practices During Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico (NSF Award #1824976)

Shannon Van Zandt, Texas A&M University Main Campus (PI)
Collaborative Research: Modeling the Vulnerability of Mobile Home Parks to Disaster: A Longitudinal Study of Affordable Housing Loss After Hurricane Harvey (NSF Award #1826322)

Haizhong Wang, Oregon State University (PI)
Collaborative Research: Understanding Evacuation Behavior for Rapid Onset Disasters such as Flash Floods and Tsunamis in the Cascadia Subduction Zone (NSF Award #1826407)

Sierra Woodruff, Texas A&M University (PI)
Bryce Hannibal (Co-PI)
Collaborative Research: Evaluating the Potential for Urban Resilience Planning to Mitigate Long-term Flood Risks (NSF Award #1825367)

Jun Zhuang, SUNY at Buffalo (PI)
Modeling Rumor Spreading and Debunking Strategies on Social Media During Disasters (NSF Award #1762807)

2017

Brittany Brand, Boise State University (PI)
Michael Lindell and Alexa Dietrich (Co-PIs)
Assessing the Influence of Cultural Variables, Perceptions, and Earthquake Hazard Information on Household Emergency Preparedness (NSF Award #1663642)

Lyndon Estes, Clark University (PI)
Tom Evans Kelly Caylor, Katherine Baylis, and Megan Konar (Co-PIs)
Hazards SEES: Understanding Cross-Scale Interactions of Trade and Food Policy to Improve Resilience to Drought Risk (NSF Award #1832393)

Makarand Hastak, Purdue University (PI)
Wallace Tyner and Roshanak Nateghi (Co-PIs)
Towards a Resilient Electric Power Grid: An Investment Prioritization Decision Framework Integrating Risks of Severe Weather-Induced Outages (NSF Award #1728209)

Lori Peek, University of Colorado Boulder (PI)
A Clearinghouse on Natural Hazards Applications (NSF Award #1635593)

Lori Peek, University of Colorado Boulder (PI)
EAGER: Interdisciplinary and Social Science Extreme Events Reconnaissance (NSF Award #1745611)

Matteo Pozzi, Carnegie-Mellon University (PI)
Peter Adams and Kelly Klima (Co-PIs)
From Future Learning To Current Action: Long-Term Sequential Infrastructure Planning Under Uncertainty (NSF Award #1663479)

Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, University of Central Florida (PI)
Enhancing Community Resilience to Floods: A Theoretical Framework of Community Participation in Federal Voluntary Programs (NSF Award #1838421)

2016

K. Selcuk Candan, Arizona State University (PI)
Huan Liu, Ming Zhao, and Pitu Mirchandani (Co-PIs)
DataStorm: A Data Enabled System for End-to-End Disaster Planning and Response (NSF Award #1610282)

Wesley Highfield, Texas A&M University (PI)
Jamie Padgett (Co-PI)
Collaborative Research: Probabilistic Debris Modeling in Coastal Storm Events: A Case of Complex Coupling Between Human-Built-Natural Systems (NSF Award #1635784)

2015

Samuel Brody, Texas A&M University (PI)
Jens Figlus, William Merrell, Wesley Highfield, and Meri Davlasheridze (Co-PIs)
PIRE- Coastal Flood Risk Reduction Program: Integrated, multi-scale approaches for understanding how to reduce vulnerability to damaging events (NSF Award #1545837)

Jeannette Sutton, SUNY at Albany (PI)
Collaborative Research: Online Hazard Communication in the Terse Regime: Measurement, Modeling, and Dynamics (NSF Award #1536319)

Satish Ukkusuri, Purdue University (PI)
Pamela Murray-Tuite, Seungyoon Lee, Milind Kulkarni, and Yue Ge (Co-PIs)
Hazards SEES: Bridging Information, Uncertainty, and Decision-Making in Hurricanes using an Interdisciplinary Perspective (NSF Award #1520338)

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