Austin Becker is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. As an interdisciplinary scientist, he works across the fields of planning, policy, engineering, and ocean science. He creates and tests tools that help decision makers engage with complex problems involving uncertainty, consequences of natural hazards and large-scale shifts in climate, and the resulting challenges in policy and planning. This includes communicating storm impacts to emergency managers; perceptions of climate change amongst port administrators; impacts of hurricanes on port communities; barriers to resilience investing at northeast ports; and vulnerability assessments undertaken by U.S. ports. He has received funding from U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and Department of Transportation and has worked directly with numerous industry groups.
Becker has over 60 peer-reviewed publications and in 2017 was awarded the prestigious Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences. He earned a PhD in Environment and Resources at Stanford University and maintains a 500 Ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license.