Erin Coughlan de Perez

Research Director and Dignitas Professor

Dignitas Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition

Senior Advisor, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

Contact

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Working with Feinstein since 2021

Based in Boston, MA

Erin bridges science, policy, and practice in her research on climate risk management around the world. She focuses on extreme events, exploring how droughts, floods, heatwaves, and other climate shocks can be anticipated before they happen. Erin works with humanitarian teams to develop early action protocols to avoid disaster impacts, and she researches the adoption and effectiveness of climate change adaptation measures. 

Erin comes to the Feinstein Center from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, where she built a global climate science team and led the first Forecast-based Financing pilots in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Erin retains a senior advisor position at the Climate Centre, to maintain links to humanitarian operations around the world. Erin was formerly an Associate at Columbia University. 

Erin is also a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. Her chapter is Decision-Making Options for Managing Risk, as part of the Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. 

Erin received her Ph.D. from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, her M.A. in climate and society from Columbia University, and her B.S. in environmental science and international development from McGill University. 

Erin lives in Boston with her partner and children, where they are active foster parents and beekeepers. 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Disaster risk management
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Forecast-based Financing

REGIONAL FOCUS

COURSES TAUGHT

MOST CITED BOOKS & ARTICLES

  • Coughlan de Perez, Erin, Bart van den Hurk, Maarten K. van Aalst, Irene Amuron, Deus Bamanya, Tristan Hauser, Brenden Jongma et al. “Action-based flood forecasting for triggering humanitarian action.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 20, no. 9 (2016): 3549-3560. 
  • Coughlan de Perez, E., B. J. J. M. van den Hurk, M. K. Van Aalst, B. Jongman, T. Klose, and P. Suarez. “Forecast-based financing: an approach for catalyzing humanitarian action based on extreme weather and climate forecasts.” Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 15, no. 4 (2015): 895-904. 
  • Jongman, Brenden, Hessel C. Winsemius, Jeroen CJH Aerts, Erin Coughlan De Perez, Maarten K. Van Aalst, Wolfgang Kron, and Philip J. Ward. “Declining vulnerability to river floods and the global benefits of adaptation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 18 (2015): E2271-E2280. 
  • Ward, Philip J., Brenden Jongman, Peter Salamon, Alanna Simpson, Paul Bates, Tom De Groeve, Sanne Muis et al. “Usefulness and limitations of global flood risk models.” Nature Climate Change 5, no. 8 (2015): 712-715. 
  • Jongman, Brenden, Jurjen Wagemaker, Beatriz Revilla Romero, and Erin Coughlan De Perez. “Early flood detection for rapid humanitarian response: harnessing near real-time satellite and Twitter signals.” ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 4, no. 4 (2015): 2246-2266. 

MOST RECENT EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS

  • Towner, Jamie, Hannah L. Cloke, Waldo Lavado, William Santini, Juan Bazo, Erin Coughlan de Perez, and Elisabeth M. Stephens. “Attribution of Amazon floods to modes of climate variability: A review.” Meteorological Applications 27, no. 5 (2020): e1949. 
  • Gros, Clemens, Meghan Bailey, Saroja Schwager, Ahmadul Hassan, Raymond Zingg, Muhammad Mamtaz Uddin, Mohammad Shahjahan et al. “Household-level effects of providing forecast-based cash in anticipation of extreme weather events: Quasi-experimental evidence from humanitarian interventions in the 2017 floods in Bangladesh.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 41 (2019): 101275. 
  • Coughlan de Perez, Erin, Maarten van Aalst, Richard Choularton, Bart van den Hurk, Simon Mason, Hannah Nissan, and Saroja Schwager. “From rain to famine: assessing the utility of rainfall observations and seasonal forecasts to anticipate food insecurity in East Africa.” Food security 11, no. 1 (2019): 57-68. 
  • Singh, Roop K., Julie Arrighi, Erin Coughlan de Perez, Olivia Warrick, Pablo Suarez, Bettina Koelle, Eddie Jjemba et al. “International Conference on Climate Risk Management, inputs for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report.” Climate and development 11, no. 8 (2019): 655-658. 
  • Nissan, Hannah, Lisa Goddard, Erin Coughlan de Perez, John Furlow, Walter Baethgen, Madeleine C. Thomson, and Simon J. Mason. “On the use and misuse of climate change projections in international development.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 10, no. 3 (2019): e579. 

RECENT NEWS

Rathod, Coughlan de Perez, and Van Sant publish on anticipatory action in Mozambique

In January 2022, the Mozambique Red Cross activated its anticipatory action (AA) protocol in response to tropical storm Ana, distributing non-food items to 855 people in the Mocuba district of…

Erin Coughlan de Perez addresses funding for natural disaster recovery

The rising frequency of climate-related disasters, including the recent U.S. hurricanes, raises concerns over how to pay for recoveries, particularly in poorer countries that have contributed the least to climate…

Erin Coughlan de Perez publishes on crop production in Southern Africa

El Niño events have long been linked to low rainfall in Southern Africa, with seasonal rainfall forecasts now included in agricultural advisories for farmers. Although the connection between El Niño…

Couglan de Perez and Easton-Calabria publish on early warning early action

Populations affected by armed conflict are often exposed to and severely impacted by climate-related disasters. To adequately protect these populations, early warning and early action (EWEA) services need to adapt…

Erin Coughlan de Perez joins new climate science advisory panel

On January 12, 2024, Massachusetts launched a Climate Science Advisory Panel to provide expertise on statewide climate science and future projections. The panel will advise the new Massachusetts Office of…

Erin Coughlan de Perez publishes on heatwave definitions

As global studies of climate change depict increasingly dire outcomes of extreme heat, there is an urgent need to understand the appropriateness of heatwave definitions and temperature datasets in different…

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-chairs climate strategy report to USAID

A new report commissioned by the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) proposes targets and recommendations for USAID to effectively implement its ambitious Climate Strategy in agrifood system…

Erin Coughlan de Perez and colleagues publish in Nature Climate Change

As the global focus on adaptation to climate change intensifies, it becomes crucial to ensure that these efforts are effective and avoid unintended negative consequences. The first global stocktake of…

Erin Coughlan de Perez, Daniel Maxwell, and colleagues publish in Earth’s Future

Scientists with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), including Erin Coughlan de Perez and Daniel Maxwell, have developed new advances in the predictability of East African rains that…

Erin Coughlan de Perez’s research highlighted by NBC News

Erin Coughlan de Perez and colleagues published their article “Potential for surprising heat and drought events in wheat-producing regions of USA and China” in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric…

4As team generated conversation at the Global Dialogue Platform

The Anticipation Hub’s 10th Global Dialogue Platform took place in Berlin and online from December 6 – 8, 2022. The Academic Alliance for Anticipatory Action (4As) partners led a number…

Erin Coughlan de Perez elected to American Meteorological Society Council

Erin Coughlan de Perez was elected to the 2023 American Meteorological Society (AMS) Council. The Council is the principal governing body of the Society. The AMS is a global community…

Erin Coughlan de Perez discusses the State of the Humanitarian System 2022 with Liza Khan and ALNAP

Erin Coughlan de Perez  is unlikely to end up in the same room or field assignment as Liza Khan, Program Head with SHIFA Welfare Association, a local NGO based in…

Erin Coughlan de Perez joins USAID Subcommittee on Systemic Solutions for Climate Change

The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Subcommittee on Systemic Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in…

Erin Coughlan de Perez lead author on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report

Erin Coughlan de Perez is a lead author of an installment in the sixth report by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was released on February…

Erin Coughlan de Perez published two articles on how we can better use forecasts

Erin Coughlan de Perez recently published two articles in academic journals. In Disasters, she teamed up with colleagues to publish an article on the effectiveness of anticipatory support for herders…

USAID highlights Feinstein led 4As partnership on Federal Drive with Tom Temin

On January 20, 2022, Maggie Schmitz, the acting division chief for private sector engagement, diaspora, and innovation in USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. In…

Feinstein launches new project with six universities around the world to improve the evidence on early action

On December 8, 2021, USAID announced a new partnership with seven universities around the world, including the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University. This alliance will build the evidence base…

Erin Coughlan de Perez give keynote at Anticipation Hubs’ Global Dialogue

On December 7, 2021, Erin Coughlan de Perez and Dr. Selma Lendelvo from the University of Namibia gave the keynote speech at the Anticipation Hub’s Global Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory…

Erin Coughlan de Perez presented at ICRC Analysis and Evidence Week 2021

Erin Coughlan de Perez presented at the first-ever Analysis and Evidence Week, hosted by the the Analysis and Evidence team at the International Committee of the Red Cross from November…

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authors global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change

In November 2021, Nature Climate Change Journal published an article that groundbreaking collaboration with more than 100 people, to answer the question globally: Are humans adapting to climate change? Lea…

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authored an article in the IJF on epidemiological and meteorological forecasting

Erin Coughlan de Perez brought together several people who work in epidemiological and meteorological forecasting to reflect on how these two communities can learn from one another when it comes…

Erin Coughlan de Perez participated in events and published on topics relating to climate change and crises

Erin Coughlan de Perez participated in several events relating to climate change in the months of June and July 2021: Erin moderated a United Nations Economic and Social Council Humanitarian…

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authored a correspondence featured by TBLH

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authored a correspondence, which was featured by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. This piece urges the international Tuberculosis community to consider the various…

Erin Coughlan de Perez presented at the Mozilla Festival and IIDUNDP

Erin Coughlan de Perez presented on the use of “AI for Disasters” at the Mozilla Festival, covering both the opportunities for the use of AI in forecasting disasters as well as…

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authored two pieces on climate change

Erin Coughlan de Perez co-authored two pieces on important environmental research.  The first article she co-authored suggests a new way of defining El Nino. This major climate oscillation affects rainfall…

Erin Coughlan de Perez quoted in an article in The New York Times

Erin Coughlan de Perez was quoted in an article in The New York Times, which discussed a new board game called “Climate Change” designed by Matt Lealock. This game involves…

Climate scientist Erin Coughlan de Perez to join Feinstein faculty on March 1, 2021

The Feinstein International Center and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Erin Coughlan de Perez as Associate Professor and inaugural recipient…

FEINSTEIN PUBLICATIONS

farm field in Malawi

Anticipatory Insurance with African Risk Capacity: A Holistic Benefit-Cost Analysis

This report outlines an anticipatory insurance product designed to support farmers in the drought-prone regions of Malawi and Zambia.

Cartoon illustration of a person reading a book

Everyone says they want “localization” in anticipatory action — but what does that mean?

The time pressure involved in designing and implementing anticipatory action can discourage the localization of decision-making. Learn more from a cartoon-infused summary of insights.

Cartoon illustration of two human figures sitting on a flooded home

Early Warning Systems: The Answer to Climate Change?

Early Warning Systems can reduce deaths and damages caused by extreme weather events, if investors address gaps in communication and planning. Learn more from a cartoon-infused summary of insights.

A mother and daughter stand with their herd of goats in El Baraf, Somalia

Anticipatory Action in Motion: Recapping the most recent evidence and illuminating a pathway forward

This anticipatory action landscape brief summarizes what has been published on anticipatory action since 2020 and what progress has been made on existing recommendations.

picture of a wave

Disaster Risk Financing: An Overview From Lesotho

This brief examines Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa that is highly vulnerable to climate hazards, is equipped to make use of DRF.

FEINSTEIN RESEARCH PROJECTS

Center for Climate and Health glObal Research on Disasters (CORD)

The CORD consortium works to protect health and build resilience in climate-related disasters. We collect and analyze data on the health effects of climate-related disasters, illuminating how vulnerable populations are affected around the world.

Early Warning Early Action (EWEA) for U.S. Refugees and Migrants

This study of 4 U.S. locations will document how refugee and migrant populations in the United States receive, understand, and act on early warnings and information related to weather hazards.

Preventing Famine in the 21st Century

This project reconsiders our understanding of famines, the dynamics that give rise to famines, the resilience of populations subjected to these dynamics, and the means of prevention at the disposal of governments, humanitarian agencies, donors, and the affected populations.

Academic Alliance for Anticipatory Action

The Academic Alliance for Anticipatory Action (4As) is a global consortium of universities supported by USAID that is building the evidence base on why acting ahead of hazards and risks saves lives.