LSU Sociology Professor Receives Prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award
August 28, 2024
Photo Credit: LSU
Dr. Kevin Smiley, National Science Foundation CAREER Award Recipient
Photo Credit: LSU
BATON ROUGE – The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Kevin Smiley, associate professor in the Department of Sociology in the LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences, as a recipient of the Early Career
Development (CAREER) Award.
His project, “Investigating Iterative Interrelations in Socio-Environmental Processes
to Improve Climate Change Attribution Research,” has received a nearly $550,000, 5-year
grant, which allows Smiley to transform knowledge and practice around climate change
attribution science by incorporating social scientific frameworks on extreme weather
events using a perspective that focuses on social and environmental feedbacks over
time.
The CAREER award is the most prestigious grant for early-career faculty who exhibit
potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances
in the mission of their organization. Smiley’s research investigates social inequalities
and environmental change, especially as it relates to disasters, place making, health,
immigration, race, and social capital. This highly competitive grant supports an individual’s
research, helping build a firm foundation for a lifetime of research and academic
leadership.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to the impact Dr. Smiley has
already made in the field of disaster resilience and vulnerability,” said LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences Dean Troy Blanchard. “Smiley’s cutting-edge research advances LSU’s Scholarship First
agenda and is addressing critical problems that impact Louisiana’s citizens and our
coast.”
Smiley’s NSF CAREER Award will further his research on transforming our understanding
of the social roots and social applications of climate change attribution research,
which is needed to better understand the impacts that climate change is having on
our contemporary society. This project also includes educational components, with
activities that engage high school students, undergraduate students as well as graduate
students to build a career pipeline that will grow a diverse group of social scientists
working in climate change research.
“How climate change is increasing impacts during and after extreme weather is a question
with enormous social implications. Our team of terrific students across many levels
will uncover the social implications for equity, policy, and beyond,” Smiley said.
Through this grant, Smiley will support research on integrating social science perspectives
into the study of climate change-attributed storms by linking public policies, resident
perceptions and actions, and socio-demographics spatially. This research will catalyze
a convergent research program on climate change attribution on extreme weather events.
In addition to the NSF CAREER award, Smiley was also selected as a recipient of the
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Early Career Faculty Innovator Program. Partnering with The Water Institute on this NSF-established program, Smiley and his colleagues will conduct flood models
of Hurricane Ida that take into account climate change attribution estimates.
“Today’s most important research questions require teams with diverse areas of expertise.
Working with NSF NCAR makes possible transdisciplinary research that cross-cuts the
sciences and social sciences that would otherwise be impossible,” Smiley said.
About the LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences
The LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences positions students, faculty, and staff
to be visionary leaders in their respective fields, a tradition of excellence that
began with the college’s inception in 1908. For more news and information about the
LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences, visit hss.lsu.edu.
Contact: Sarah Gaar Keller
LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences