Melissa Villarreal

PhD Student, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder

Graduate Research Assistant, Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science

Year Entered

2017

Biography

Melissa is a PhD student at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the Department of Sociology. Her work centers around the post-disaster recovery process of vulnerable populations. She is currently working on a project on the long-term housing recovery of Mexican-origin immigrants in Houston, TX after Hurricane Harvey. Melissa was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her work on this project, giving her a full three years of funding to continue her work in Houston. In addition to her own research, Melissa works as a graduate research assistant at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, working on several research projects concerning the enhancement of the ethical quality of research, the increase of diversity in the field, and the reduction of post-disaster vulnerabilities for marginalized communities. Melissa is also a William Averette Anderson Fund (BAF) Fellow, which is dedicated to advancing the success of minority professionals in the hazards and disasters field. She currently serves on the BAF Student Executive Board as the Secretary.