Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience

The Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience (NCCR) will serve as a regional knowledge hub to provide actionable coastal science, inform policy and local decision making, support sustainable blue economy development, and facilitate strategic regional collaborations. NCCR is a multi-institutional collaboration with:

• UMass Amherst
• UMass Boston
• UMass Dartmouth
• UMass Lowell
• Woods Hole Group
• Essex County Community Foundation

Additionally, there are formal and informal opportunities for organizations, agencies, businesses, and stakeholder groups to get involved. 

Mission

Our mission is to “advance actionable coastal science, inform policy and decision making, and support blue economy development” in coastal New England and beyond.

Why It Matters

There is an urgent need for regional collaboration to better understand the risks and impacts of climate change as well as the promising opportunities for the blue economy, adaptive planning, and coastal resilience. Climate change impacts on the Northeast will be most acute at the coast. New England is experiencing faster rates of atmospheric warming, coastal waters warming, and sea-level rise, creating a compound effect. Here in Massachusetts, communities are increasingly impacted by rising waters, flooding, extreme storms, and erosion. These rapidly changing natural systems are intimately connected to people and society, requiring a holistic, systems-based approach to research, planning, development, training, and engagement with sustainable practices to enhance co-production, adaptation, and resilience.

Leadership

Working from a collaborative framework, team leadership includes a director, managing director, and an executive committee. 

NCCR Director

Rob DeConto, UMass Amherst, School of Earth & Sustainability, @email

Managing Director

Darci Connor Maresca, UMass Amherst, School of Earth & Sustainability, @email

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is comprised of the director, managing director, and leaders from across the partnering institutions and organizations. 

Kirk Bosma, Woods Hole Group, @email

Gavin Fay, UMass Dartmouth, @email

Elisabeth Hamin Infield, UMass Amherst, @email

Katie Kahl, UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station, @email

Paul Kirshen, UMass Boston, Stone Living Lab, @email

Sheree Pagsuyoin, UMass Lowell, @email

Marta Vicarelli, UMass Amherst, @email

Karen Whelan-Berry, UMass Amherst, @email

Our Team

NCCR is a proud UMass system collaboration partnership. Leveraging world-class scientists and scholars from across the commonwealth’s public universities, the center aims to be a catalyst, accelerating resilience, adaptation planning, and a just blue economy in New England. Each university brings collaborating units to NCCR, including:

• UMass Amherst: School of Earth & Sustainability, Gloucester Marine Station, and Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
• UMass Boston: School for the Environment, Stone Living Lab, and Nantucket Field Station
• UMass Dartmouth: School for Marine Science & Technology
• UMass Lowell: Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy

Together, the NCCR’s research team includes over 60 faculty with expertise ranging from physical sciences to engineering, technology, socio-economic and behavioral sciences, and stakeholder engagement. Serving as a hub, the NCCR team is also actively developing collaborative partnerships with municipalities, planning agencies, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other local stakeholders. 

Regional Partners and Stakeholders

Our NCCR team is actively seeking partnerships with leaders, communities, and stakeholders involved with adaptation, regional planning, climate resilience, management, and the blue economy. Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience Partners will play an active and influential advisory role in the NCCR. In cooperation with partners, NCCR aims to develop dynamic and mutually beneficial coastal resilience collaborations.