海角社区 Sociology Professor Receives Prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award
August 28, 2024
Photo Credit: 海角社区
Dr. Kevin Smiley, National Science Foundation CAREER Award Recipient
Photo Credit: 海角社区
BATON ROUGE 鈥� The (NSF) has named Kevin Smiley, associate professor in the Department of Sociology in the 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences, as a recipient of the Early Career
Development (CAREER) Award.
His project, 鈥淚nvestigating Iterative Interrelations in Socio-Environmental Processes
to Improve Climate Change Attribution Research,鈥� has received a nearly $550,000, 5-year
grant, which allows Smiley to transform knowledge and practice around climate change
attribution science by incorporating social scientific frameworks on extreme weather
events using a perspective that focuses on social and environmental feedbacks over
time.
The CAREER award is the most prestigious grant for early-career faculty who exhibit
potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances
in the mission of their organization. Smiley鈥檚 research investigates social inequalities
and environmental change, especially as it relates to disasters, place making, health,
immigration, race, and social capital. This highly competitive grant supports an individual鈥檚
research, helping build a firm foundation for a lifetime of research and academic
leadership.
鈥淭his is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to the impact Dr. Smiley has
already made in the field of disaster resilience and vulnerability,鈥� said 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences Dean Troy Blanchard. 鈥淪miley鈥檚 cutting-edge research advances 海角社区鈥檚 Scholarship First
agenda and is addressing critical problems that impact Louisiana鈥檚 citizens and our
coast.鈥�
Smiley鈥檚 NSF CAREER Award will further his research on transforming our understanding
of the social roots and social applications of climate change attribution research,
which is needed to better understand the impacts that climate change is having on
our contemporary society. This project also includes educational components, with
activities that engage high school students, undergraduate students as well as graduate
students to build a career pipeline that will grow an interdisciplinary group of social
scientists working in climate change research.
鈥淗ow climate change is increasing impacts during and after extreme weather is a question
with enormous social implications,鈥� Smiley said.
Through this grant, Smiley will support research on integrating social science perspectives
into the study of climate change-attributed storms by linking public policies, resident
perceptions and actions, and socio-demographics spatially. This research will catalyze
a convergent research program on climate change attribution on extreme weather events.
In addition to the NSF CAREER award, Smiley was also selected as a recipient of the
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) . Partnering with on this NSF-established program, Smiley and his colleagues will conduct flood models
of Hurricane Ida that take into account climate change attribution estimates.
About the 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences
The 海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences positions students, faculty, and staff
to be visionary leaders in their respective fields, a tradition of excellence that
began with the college鈥檚 inception in 1908. For more news and information about the
海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences, visit hss.lsu.edu.
Contact: Sarah Gaar Keller
海角社区 College of Humanities & Social Sciences