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Brian G McAdoo

Associate Professor of Geosciences
Earth and Climate Sciences

Overview


Brian G. McAdoo is Associate Professor of Earth and Climate Science at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment where he studies the effects of disasters triggered by natural hazards. How are humans impacting the physical systems that keep us alive, and how are marginalized populations specifically affected?  Current research projects in Nepal (earthquakes, landslides and road development) as well as Borneo and Brazil (deforestation, ecosystem services and community health) seek to apply a Planetary Health framework to understand how coupled human-environment systems and geohazards interact with the ultimate goal of informing community resilience and reducing environmental suffering.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Geosciences · 2021 - Present Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment
Director of Undergraduate Studies of Earth and Climate Sciences · 2022 - Present Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2024 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 22, 2025
Ten Faculty Named 2025 Bass Chairs
Published February 25, 2025
Around the Clock: What Happens Before, During & After a Disaster
Published January 22, 2025
When a Disaster Hits Home

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Recent Publications


Beyond despair: Leveraging ecosystem restoration for psychosocial resilience.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · January 2025 Ecosystem restoration has historically been viewed as an ecological endeavor, but restoration possesses significant, yet largely untapped, potential as a catalyst for personal and social transformation. We highlight the opportunity for restoration to enhan ... Full text Cite

Using simulations of future extreme weather events to escape the resilience trap: Experimental evidence from Hong Kong

Journal Article International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · December 1, 2024 Hong Kong is a hyper-dense coastal city that has long learned to live with a potentially disastrous extreme weather event: tropical cyclones. This was largely a reactionary process, with investments in soft and hard infrastructure made in the aftermath of ... Full text Cite

A call for reducing tourism risk to environmental hazards in the Himalaya

Journal Article Environmental Hazards · January 1, 2023 As mountain tourism rapidly expands in remote landscapes, there is a critical need for improved disaster risk management to ensure the safety of tourists and industry workers, safeguard infrastructure designed to support tourism and service industries (e.g ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


IUCRC Planning Grant Duke University: Center for Innovation in Risk-analysis for Climate Adaptation and Decision-making (CIRCAD)

ResearchParticipating Faculty Member · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, Santa Cruz · 2000 Ph.D.
Duke University · 1991 B.S.

External Links


PlanetLab