Susanne Moser

“ My expertise is in three kinds of change: one, preparing for and responding to climate change; two, communicating climate change to more effectively engage the public on this increasingly polarized topic; and three, changing how scientists interact with policy- and decision-makers, so that the best available information informs what we do. If you have questions about any of these challenges, I would be happy to talk to you. ”

Director and Principal Researcher

Susanne Moser Research & Consulting

The central theme of my work is change: climate change and social change. How and why does it happen? What are its effects? How do we deal with it? What I most care about is how we change ourselves, our practices, behaviors, and institutions - in deep and shallower ways - so that all of us on this planet can live rich and meaningful lives, and create a fair, sustainable, safe, and beautiful world. I conduct research and provide consulting services addressing these questions.

I come to these questions as a broadly trained geographer. I am particularly interested in the human dimensions of global change: the causes of climate change, people's vulnerability to climate change, the impacts they might experience, and their responses to limit or avoid negative consequences. In my work I focus particularly on coastal areas, but also work in forest-reliant communities, urban areas, and on issues related to human health.

Science and assessments of climate change play an increasingly important role in policy and decision-making. So, part of my work focuses on researching and actively straddling the science-practice interface. How do we build effective relationships between researchers and decision-makers? How do we connect global change science to local decision-makers, planners and managers? How do we most usefully assist decision-makers? These questions are central to the emerging science of decision support.

Finally, there is the ever-more important question of how to effectively engage the public on climate change - an issue that seems remote and overwhelming to many. I conduct research, educate, and train individuals - scientists and practitioners - in communicating this issue more effectively.

Since earning my Ph.D., I have worked at academic institutions, a think tank, an science-oriented environmental advocacy group, a national lab, and more recently in the private sector as an independent researcher. With this broad persepective, I research and provide assistance to local, state, federal government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in my three areas of expertise: (1) development of adaptation strategies to climate change; (2) effective climate change communication and social change; and (3) science–policy interaction.

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