Our Team
Chris Field
Chris Field is the Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies at Stanford University. Field’s research focuses on global climate change and ecology. His work includes examining long-term trends in forest stocks and climate influence on wildfire risk. Field served as co-chair of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2008-15), leading efforts on climate change adaptation and managing risks of extreme events. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and recipient of the Max Planck Research Award.
Michael Wara
Michael Wara is the Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program, a senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and a commissioner on California’s Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery Commission. He is a lawyer and scholar focused on climate and energy policy and collaborates with economists, engineers and scientists on the design and evaluation of technical and regulatory solutions. Wara is an expert in California law and policy concerning wildfires and the utility industry. He holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences from University of California at Santa Cruz.
Noah Diffenbaugh
Noah Diffenbaugh is the Kara J. Foundation Professor and Kimmelman Family Senior Fellow at Stanford University. An expert on California’s climate and extreme events, Diffenbaugh studies the climate system, including the processes by which climate change could impact agriculture, water resources, and human health. He was a Lead Author for Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and received the James R. Holton Award from the American Geophysical Union, National Science Foundation CAREER award, and Terman Faculty Fellowship. He was recognized as a Kavli Fellow by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Google Science Communication Fellow.
Eric Appel
Eric Appel is an assistant professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford University. An expert on supramolecular polymeric materials, Appel has developed a non-toxic biomimetic moldable hydrogel to carry fire retardant that can be applied preventatively. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Polymer Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He has received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Jon Weaver Ph.D. prize, a NIH National Research Service Award (NIBIB), a Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Margaret A. Cunningham Immune Mechanisms in Cancer Research Award, and a Terman Faculty Fellowship.
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth System Science and a center fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Her research focuses on applying behavioral decision research methods to address challenges associated with global environmental change. Wong-Parodi uses behavioral decision science approaches to create evidence-based strategies for informed decision making, with a particular focus on building resilience and promoting sustainability in the face of a changing climate. She received her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Risk Perceptions and Communication from the University of California, Berkeley.
Our Approach
The FIRE approach strategically targets dangerous areas, reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires in a cost-effective way, and provides guidance for communities, including on smoke exposure and planning for relocation.