Dr. Elizabeth Fussell

Biography

Elizabeth Fussell is a sociologist and demographer whose research focuses on the environmental drivers of migration, social inequalities, and health, particularly in the context of post-disaster outcomes. She is an affiliate of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES). Her current investigations include the long-term effects of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, on residential mobility and the health and well-being of New Orleans residents, utilizing innovative methods and datasets from the Federal Statistical Research Data Center. Her studies examine the effects of hurricanes and other exogenous shocks on migration patterns within the United States, with a new focus on Puerto Rico. Her research is supported by prominent organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Russell Sage Foundation. Elizabeth served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer journal Population & Environment from 2017 to 2024 and is co-faculty director of the Equitable Climate Futures Initiative at Brown University, which leads the Capacity Building Core of the Climate, Health, Aging, and Innovation Research Solutions for Communities (CHAIRS-C) center funded by the National Institute of Aging.

Research Interests

Experience