Introduction to Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA)

Dr. Ir. Koen Verbist, UNESCO Programme Specialist

Dr. Ir. Koen Verbist is a Programme Specialist working at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) in Zimbabwe, where he is responsible for the implementation of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), as well as the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme for Southern Africa, to support and implement interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects in the field of Natural Sciences.

He has been supporting the implementation of flood and drought risk management strategies in the region, and supported the development of the Drought Atlas and the setup of Flood and Drought Monitoring systems for several countries in the region. More recently, he has supported the implementation of CRIDA case studies in the region to address climate change impacts on water resources and ecosystem services.

He has a PhD from Ghent University, Belgium, targeting the improvement of water harvesting systems in drylands and has co-authored several UNESCO publications on these topics, as well as over 45 scientific papers in international journals.

John Matthews, Executive Director, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA)

John H. Matthews is the Executive Director for the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), a US-based NGO. AGWA's board is co-chaired by the World Bank and SIWI and supported by groups such as the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Ministry, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, among others. His work integrates climate change adaptation policy and science into sustainable natural resource management, infrastructure operations, and economic development. John has worked on five continents and some twenty-five countries. He has authored or co-authored recent books, papers, and reports on decision-making frameworks for adapting water infrastructure and ecosystems to climate impacts, resilient approaches to environmental flows, integrating ecological and engineering approaches to robust water management, and using new economic tools to support long-term sustainable planning. John has been asked by numerous NGOs, development banks, government ministries, companies, and aid agencies to provide advice and support on freshwater climate change and development issues. He has an ongoing research program on climate adaptation strategies for resource management in the North American Great Basin, funded by the USGS as well as an US NSF grant to merge ecological and engineering approaches to long-term sustainable water management and water infrastructure. He is a Senior Water Fellow at Colorado State University and Courtesy Faculty at Oregon State University. Previously, John directed the global WWF freshwater climate adaptation program and the Freshwater Climate Change program at Conservation International for four years each. He has a PhD in ecology from the University of Texas and held a postdoctoral research position in conservation biology with the US Geological Survey. He lives in Corvallis, Oregon, where he enjoys trail running, timber framing, and finding wild mushrooms.

Sadie McEvoy, Researcher, Deltares

Dr. Sadie McEvoy is a researcher at the knowledge institute, Deltares in the Netherlands. She specializes in water resources management and adaptation planning, particularly in stakeholder involvement in planning and decision-making processes. Sadie’s interests lie in applying methods that support decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) in collaborative planning settings. She also works on integrating spatial implications of uncertainty into DMDU methods.

Sadie works on climate adaptation planning and implementation projects in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Her research focuses on adaptation planning in the areas of water resources, urban water and sea level rise. She has a PhD from Delft University of Technology on the use and effectiveness of planning support tools in collaborative adaptation of urban areas. Sadie sits on the board of the Society for Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty and is the Europe chapter scientist for the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report, Working Group II.

John Kucharski, Senior Economist, US Army Corps Engineers

As a Senior Economist at the Institute for Water Resources, Hydrologic Engineering Center in Sacramento, California Area, John is Lead developer and program manager for US Army Corps Engineers primary decision support software for new flood risk management investments, which is also used extensively by foreign governments and private business. Lead climate adaptation and international water resource projects with development agencies, foreign institutions and large non governmental organizations. Principal investigator on risk assessment, system based modeling and decision making under deep uncertainty research and development funds. Economist with experience leading complex econometric and statistical evaluations of multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects, public policies and international development programs. Proven track record of adding value through diligence, innovation and leadership. Specialties: Integrated Water Resource Management, Climate Adaptation, System Dynamics, Statistical Modeling, Software Development, Economic and Econometric Modeling, International Program Development and Project Management. Computer Languages: C#, VB.NET, VBA , Python, R, SQL, Java, STATA. Languages: Native – English; Fluent – Spanish; Basic – Thai.