Gary Cecchine

Biography

Gary Cecchine is director of research for the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute and a senior natural scientist at the RAND Corporation. He leads and conducts technical and policy research in a range of areas, including energy and environmental policy, coastal protection, emergency preparedness and response, homeland security, and science policy. As director of research, he also develops and coordinates policy research in health, education, economics, public safety, and regional and strategic planning. He recently led a study of the response to the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, and he has directed research on the civil support role of the military after natural disasters and terrorist attacks, including an analysis of the Army's role in Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. His current activities include supporting research to protect the U.S. Gulf Coast from disasters by planning economically and ecologically sound prevention strategies. Cecchine earned his Ph.D. in biology and public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology.