Melanie Gall is a hazards geographer and certified floodplain manager studying the interaction between natural hazards and society. She co-directs the Arizona State University Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security and manages the Spatial Hazard Events and Losses Database for the United States. Her expertise lies in risk metrics (e.g., disaster losses, indices, risk assessments) and hazard mitigation planning. She has conducted post-disaster fieldwork in Mozambique, Haiti, New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Outside of the classroom, she is actively engaged with the Arizona Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, the National Hazard Mitigation Association, and the North American Alliance of Hazards and Disasters Research Institutes. She holds a PhD from the University of South Carolina, a master's of science from the University of Salzburg (Austria), and a bachelor's from the University of Heidelberg (Germany).