About the expert
Dr. Austin Becker is Associate Professor of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island (URI). He holds a joint appointment between the Departments of Marine Affairs and Landscape Architecture. Dr. Becker works across the fields of planning, policy, engineering, design, and climate-change science. Dr. Becker’s teaching and research contributes to untangling complex problems involving uncertainty, consequences climate change, and the resulting challenges in policy and planning, with a focus on stakeholders of coastal infrastructure.
He is a regularly invited speaker at international expert group meetings, as well as numerous conferences in the US. He earned a PhD in Environment and Resources at Stanford University, a Master of Marine Affairs and Master of Environmental Science and Management at URI, and a B.A. at Hampshire College. He maintains a 500-Ton captain’s license for ocean-going vessels.
My work seeks to find ways that ports and their associated communities can jointly develop comprehensive approaches and solutions that reduce climate-related risk in a way that is, sustainable, affordable and just.