Rae Taylor-Burns, Ph.D.

Scientist

Bio
Relevant Experience
Education & Credentials

Bio

Dr. Rae Taylor-Burns is a coastal engineer and ocean scientist with 10 years of experience participating in vulnerability assessments, risk assessments, and climate change resilience and adaptation plans for coastal and wetland environments. She is skilled in numerical modeling software (Delft3D, SWAN, SWASH, XBeach), database and numerical/statistical computing (Matlab, R, SQL), and geographic information systems (ArcGIS, QGIS). In addition to her modeling and engineering expertise, Dr. Taylor-Burns also is skilled at the translation of science into policy and risk communication.

Relevant Experience

Coastal Science

Postdoctoral Scholar with Center for Coastal Climate Resilience and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, Santa Cruz, California — Develop tools and approaches for integrating nature-based climate adaptation solutions into land use planning and financial mechanisms. Support development of the Coastal Risk Index web platform, which shows global flood risk and risk reduction benefit of coral reef and mangrove forests. Collaborate with insurers and risk managers to determine leverage points for incorporating habitats’ risk reduction benefits into risk models.

Coastal Scientist with Integral Consulting, Santa Cruz, California — Utilize coastal science principles and data to perform climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans for clients including the cities of Half Moon Bay, Carmel, and Pacific Grove California. Produce deliverables including system networks, impact maps, reports, and presentations.

Graduate Student Researcher for Coastal Resilience Laboratory, Santa Cruz, California — Utilized numerical modeling software (XBeach, Delft3D, SWAN) to assess flood reduction potential of marsh restoration in San Francisco Bay. Utilized socioeconomic data (census data, building inventories, FEMA depth-damage curves) to quantify benefits of risk reduction. Held workshops with local flood managers and partners to get input and present results. Wrote grants and produced required deliverables including quarterly reports, final reports, maps, and manuscripts. Worked collaboratively with researchers from U.S. Geological Survey, U.C. Santa Cruz, and The Nature Conservancy. Served as lead author for four peer reviewed publications and one policy brief. Participated in workshops and other collaboration with risk finance industry representatives.

Graduate Student Researcher for U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, California — Worked with researchers in the Coastal Change Hazards research area to develop public geonarratives depicting ongoing research projects at U.S. Geological Survey. Synthesized complex scientific information into clear, informative, and visually appealing narratives with photographs, diagrams and maps. Created figures for scientific articles. Assisted with field work in Monterey and San Francisco Bay using RTK and performing vegetation surveys.

Researcher for West Coast Ocean Data Portal, Santa Barbara, California — Spearheaded analysis as part of a multidisciplinary team to investigate West Coast ocean acidification. Developed assessment of acidification in the California Current based off raw data to determine which MPAs are located in ocean acidification hotspots and how colocation affects ecosystem resilience to acidification. Analyzed gaps in the West Coast ocean acidification monitoring network based off a monitoring inventory.

Project Assistant with Central Coast Wetlands Group, Moss Landing, California — Finalized ArcGIS-based sea level rise adaptation plans for Santa Cruz, Capitola, Santa Cruz County and Monterey County. Created metadata for all layers and summary documents for each municipality. Completed ArcGIS based economic analyses on cost of at risk infrastructure for the City of Santa Cruz. Authored the 40 page 2017 Climate Change Chapter of the Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan and presented findings to 20 municipal water resource managers at countywide meeting. Led and completed several other research projects including a treatment wetland literature summary and a synthesis of California’s lagoon breaching permit conditions.

Research Assistant with National Seashore North Atlantic Coastal Laboratory, Truro, Massachusetts — Assisted with data collection and project planning for a salt marsh vulnerability assessment. Collected grass decomposition data in Cape Cod salt marshes to measure effect of relative sea level rise on salt marshes in comparison to the rate of sediment creation from decomposition.

Education & Credentials

Ph.D., Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, 2023

M.A., Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 2018

B.S. Environmental Engineering and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 2015

Continuing Education

Certificate in Equity in Teaching from Center for Innovation and in Teaching and Learning

NOAA Facilitation Basics for Coastal Managers

Certified Practitioner of the California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetland Assessment

Open Water NAUI SCUBA

CPR First Aid

California Office of Emergency Services Certified Crisis Counselor

Achievements & Awards

UC Santa Cruz: 2023 Ocean Sciences Outstanding Graduate Student Awardee; 2023 Dissertation Fellowship Awardee; SNAPP Fellow; ARCS Scholar; California Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellow.

UC Santa Barbara: Graduate Student Association Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee.

Yale: Scholar in Yale Climate and Energy Institute, Distinction in Major of Environmental Studies.

Relevant Experience

Coastal Science

Clear Filter