Conference Agenda

Dr. Brian Southwell is Distinguished Fellow at RTI International where he oversees research to assess effects of information on behavior, risk perceptions, mental models of scientific concepts, and public trust in science and scientists. He also is an adjunct professor of Internal Medicine with Duke University where he co-founded the Duke Program on Medical Misinformation. In addition, he is an adjunct associate professor with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and an adjunct faculty member with the University of Delaware. At RTI, Southwell co-leads the All of Us Researcher Academy, funded by the National Institutes of Health, to support scholarly publishing using publicly available data. He has served various committees for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including a consensus study on misinformation about science and the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication, as well as for the World Health Organization, Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Southwell is an active participant in efforts to address public understanding of science through peer-reviewed publications as well as public commentary, talks in venues such as the Aspen Ideas Festival, and advising for projects such as NOVA Science Studio. His research appears in more than 150 journal articles and chapters and he has published four books including Misinformation and Mass Audiences (University of Texas Press). He also hosts a public radio show on WNCU 90.7 FM called The Measure of Everyday Life.

Dr. Barbara Doll is a licensed professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in ecological restoration. She teaches professional development workshops and academic courses in fluvial geomorphology and ecological restoration. She has secured and managed more than $12 million in external funding to implement water quality and restoration demonstration projects and conduct research at NC State University. She has led design, permitting, bidding and construction oversight for several restoration projects in this role. She leads a team of engineers and students that focus on evaluating the performance of stream restoration efforts, developing new techniques for ecological restoration and assisting communities with flooding and water quality challenges.

In her role as Policy and Engagement Manager with the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, Stacy Webb Feken administers the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program, leads interstate coastal and watershed resilience coordination and planning, and works collaboratively to develop partnerships between practitioners, agencies, resource managers, communities, and Tribal and local governments. Her background includes 20 years of experience implementing ecosystem restoration, water resources, and ecological research programs in Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida, including the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Stacey earned her M.S. in Marine Sciences from the University of Georgia Marine Institute, and a B.S. in Zoology from Louisiana State University.

Branko Kerkez is the Arthur F. Thurnau Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he directs the Digital Water Lab. He is also the chief technical officer at Hyfi, steering research and development of sensing and AI technologies for urban water management. His research interests include water, data, and sensors. His group is working to enable smart water systems, which autonomously adapt themselves to changing conditions using real-time data and controls. His research projects have spanned wireless sensing of large mountain basins, real-time flood forecasting, robotics, and control algorithms for water systems. He is the founder of Open-Storm.org, an open-source consortium dedicated to freely sharing hardware, software, and case studies on smart water systems. He was recognized as a Gilbreth Lecturer by the US National Academy of Engineering in 2018 for his contributions to smart water systems. Other honors include the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, Verizon Climate Resilience Prize, the Grand Prize for the WEF/WRF Intelligent Water Challenge, UM’s1938E Award, as well as numerous teaching and research paper awards. Dr. Kerkez holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley.