Kallee is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Geography Graduate Group whose research focuses on measuring social vulnerability across California communities from 2000-2020. Her research uses census data to evaluate historic trends and to anticipate those in the future. Specifically, her research examines rapidly urbanized areas and flood-prone communities.

What led you to want to study and research environmental solutions?

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: I studied Geology and Earth Sciences at UC Santa Cruz for my undergraduate degree. My background is in geophysical map making. I've always been interested in natural disasters, based on living in California. I saw the impact of the CZU lightning complex in Santa Cruz and other related disasters. When I was in college, there would be landslides. I was interested in understanding the connection between disasters and human impact. That interest brought me to the UC Davis Environmental Policy and Management Graduate Group for my master’s. I continued my geography PhD at UC Davis as well. Once you’re in an environment with like-minded people who are interested in understanding climate issues, environmental issues, and the consequences that are posed on vulnerable communities, it's hard to stop in terms of research. It's always been an interesting issue in California and worldwide regarding connection between humans, the landscape, and the disasters that shape our world.

What are your most significant research accomplishments?

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: One of the great benefits of being at UC Davis is the connection that we have with state government representatives to do research in that realm. I've been fortunate to do much of my work with state agencies, particularly with my advisor, Nicholas Pinter. We are working on research with the California Department of Water Resources. I think in general what's significant to me is the ability to apply the work in a policy realm, to work with practitioners and government representatives, to be able to meaningfully integrate findings into government actions, and particularly for proactive risk reduction. The research that I work on looks at flood susceptibility hazards. Before this, I researched landslides across the state. I've been fortunate to work with several state agencies to accomplish that work and get their insights.

What are the short and long-term goals you hope to achieve with your research?

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: The research that I currently work on is social vulnerability to flood disasters and trying to understand historical trends and apply that forward-looking to identify who in the future in these areas where there's increased disaster susceptibility and growth, who's at risk, and what can we do about it. Working at a state level is beneficial because we can look for patterns and work in a way that we're evaluating trends that are relevant to policy. I'm also hopeful and excited about the opportunity to work on the ground with communities directly dealing with these issues. That’s what I'm eager and hopeful for in the future, is to not only look at full disaster vulnerability conceptually at large scales, but also work directly with communities who are at the front line of these issues and better understand how they are addressing them, and how they are protecting their community's interests.

How has your research influenced your thinking?

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: The challenge with disaster vulnerability research is the framing. It's something that researchers are always trying to think through and catch themselves not only in terms of top-down approaches. They're defining what vulnerability means, and making sure that the language and methods that we're using are theoretically valid. I think the purpose of disaster vulnerability research isn't to determine who in a larger jurisdiction or state is more sensitive. It's about identifying the communities that require prioritization in disaster research or disaster recovery. In doing this research and looking for trends and vulnerability, it's a constant reminder that the purpose of this is for proactive risk reduction to identify communities that require prioritization before a disaster occurs and to make sure that the framing of the research is centered on equity, rather than being a third-party researcher who is applying rules to how we understand vulnerability from outside of that frame.

Tell me about your typical day as a researcher.

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: I work in a flood rivers lab in the UC Davis Earth and Environmental Planetary Sciences building. My advisor is Nicholas Pinter, and that's an interesting nexus because I'm in the geography group. We have major professors who are associated with the program but are also from different disciplines. The benefit is you have multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary exposure. My PI is a geomorphologist who works on broad and interdisciplinary issues, so I work right next to a fluvial geomorphologist, who goes into the field to collect data as part of her broader research. We also collaborate with other geographers and economists. While I'm at my desk in the lab, there are many kinds of conversations happening, and there's always something new to learn.

How do you stay motivated with the recent rollbacks in environmental research?

Kallee Bareket-Shavit: There are plenty of challenges with the recent change in administration. I started graduate school near the end of COVID and during a different administration where it was exciting to come to a university with a strong focus on environmental research. It felt like there was color coming back. The change around the administration has led to a lot of stress and for valid reasons. There are cuts to research funding, and jobs are at risk. I try to remind myself that there are many people still here. They're continuing the work and looking at the uphill battle with motivation to keep going. People aren’t packing up their desks and leaving. They're staying grounded and looking for alternative funding sources. Everyone is concerned but motivated to figure it out, and that's the heart of the problem. Environmental problem-solving seeks to figure out how to solve these challenges. People are approaching it the same way, and I'm trying to maintain that objective as I move forward.