Gonzalo L. Pita

Director MSE - Systems Engineering program, Associate Scientist

I'm an associate scientist and director of the MSE in Systems Engineering at the Civil and Systems Engineering Department (CaSE). My research centers on natural disaster risk modeling, including hazard modeling (hurricane, seismic, and floods), impacts of climate change, infrastructure vulnerability, simulation of natural hazards effects on socioeconomic systems, and analysis and design of public policies in risk mitigation. I conduct research on the effects of induced seismicity (fracking), and effects of riverine floods on vulnerable populations. The structure and uncertainty of catastrophe models are also within my interests. Specifically, the development of catastrophe models, and their use in natural disaster mitigation policy from 1950 to 2000s in the United States.

Also, I'm a senior consultant at the World Bank since 2013 where I lead projects in natural hazards risk assessment and mitigation, design and implementation of asset management systems, and design of natural disaster mitigation public policy. I also was one of the developers of the vulnerability modules of the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model.