BIO

David Simpson
David Simpson is the Director for the Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development at the University of Louisville. He is also an assistant professor in the department of Urban and Public Affairs. He was selected as an AAAS Next Generation of Leaders in Science and Technology in 2002. Simpson also served as a Natural Hazards Research Fellow in 1996-97 for the National Science Foundation. He continuously attempts to integrate research and practitioner experiences in his teaching, for example teaching “Environmental Policy and Natural Hazards” in which he brings his research experience to bear. As director of the Hazard Center, there has been funding to support 11 graduate students this year on various research projects. Currently, they are working with the state to complete a statewide hazard assessment and vulnerability analysis, as well as writing the state hazard mitigation plan. He received his BA from Duke, his MPA from University of Texas, Austin, and finally his PhD in 1996 from the University of California, Berkely.