About Dena
Dena works with the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and U-Spatial, using GIS to better understand how climate change will affect Minnesota in the years ahead, and how maps and geospatial data can serve as climate communication tools to help communities prepare.
She has worked on a range of projects examining the impacts of extreme heat on human health, changes to flooding and drought patterns, and the economic costs of climate change. Before joining the University of Minnesota in 2024, she was a Research Assistant on the Adaptation Research team at the Canadian Climate Institute.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in GIS from McGill University, and a Master's in Human Geography from the University of Toronto.
Key Projects and Initiatives
Managing Future Floods and Droughts in Minnesota
Funded by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), this project developed climate data and information to fill key knowledge gaps around Minnesota's increasingly volatile shifts between wet and dry conditions, and engaged stakeholders on how to apply that data to climate-informed management decisions.
Minnesota Climate Adaptation and Resilience Cost Study
Developed for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in partnership with Industrial Economics and Two Degrees Adapt, this study produced an evidence-supported estimate of the costs of climate change in Minnesota, alongside the potential savings from adaptation investments.
Extreme Heat and Health Dashboard
Delivered for the Minnesota Department of Health, this ArcGIS Dashboard incorporates over 20 indicators across five categories — climate projections, exposure, health, sociodemographics, and socioeconomics — to help the public, planners, and emergency managers understand community vulnerability to extreme heat.
Areas of Expertise
- Analyzing regional climate projections to inform municipal policy, community infrastructure strategies, and environmental health decision-making.
- Leveraging Esri applications, Python, and R to create cartographic tools, interactive dashboards, and visual reports on environmental vulnerability.
- Investigating urban flood vulnerabilities, community resettlement impacts, and infrastructure costs associated with changing climate patterns.
- Translating complex climate models and scientific datasets into accessible written reports, public presentations, and policy toolkits.