I combine earth science, data science, and systems analysis to
(1) identify vulnerabilities of our water and energy infrastructure to climate variability and climate change,
(2) quantify climate hazards to these critical infrastructure systems, and
(3) conduct research that supports efforts to design and operate adaptive and resilient engineered water and energy systems that limit exposure to climate risks and make use of the opportunities presented by nature.

Measuring, modeling, and developing management strategies for climate and weather risks to critical infrastructure systems

What I do

As an applied scientist and engineer, I work to understand the risks and opportunities poised to our water and energy systems by climate/weather variability and climate change. I formulate and conduct analyses to discover novel and creative strategies with which to manage the risks and capitalize on the opportunities that result from our dependence on the weather and climate.

I combine my training in engineering, statistics, and climate science to approach a variety of problems, which are outlined in the Research Themes section.

Why I do what I do

I was first inspired to research issues related to natural disasters (particularly floods) after seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the ninth ward in New Orleans as a high school student. As we enter the 2020s, risks from climate extremes are commanding increasing attention. I am encouraged by the increasing attention being paid to improving the estimation and prediction of extreme climate events by the public and private sector alike. I hope to be a part of this tide.

Research of future energy systems is an exciting field because our collective goal is clear – reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere while maintaining reliable power and energy supply around the globe – but the best pathway to achieve this goal is very much up for debate. For example, there is a great need to develop management solutions to address the challenges that come with a future of more dependence on renewable resources like solar and wind power generation. My goal is to inform the development of these management solutions by providing relevant scientific insights.

Bio

David Farnham is a postdoctoral research fellow at Carnegie Science and the Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University working with Dr. Ken Caldeira. David is an engineer and applied scientist who investigates climate risk to critical water and energy infrastructure. David holds a PhD from the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University where he studied under the advisement of Dr. Upmanu Lall.

This section is under construction, and will be updated soon

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Other ways to contat me

• dfarnham@carnegiescience.edu
• @farnham_h2o
• @d-farnham