Melisa is a geographer focusing on environmental and climate change risks, adaptation and resilience. As a Researcher Associate at UNU-EHS, she is part of the team that develops the institute's Interconnected Disaster Risks flagship report.
Melisa researches global environmental risks and how they are interconnected through systemic patterns. She was part of the Environmental Vulnerability & Ecosystem Services (EVES) division, where she co-developed an indicator-based flood risk assessment for Ecuador as part of the VALE project, along with additional duties pertaining to project, and knowledge management and partner relations.
Melisa's motivation lies in finding ways to address complex environmental challenges. With experience in qualitative and quantitative methods, her research includes a master's thesis on factors influencing the implementation of nature-based solutions for municipalities in the Great Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica. In her Licentiate thesis, Melisa applied the WEAP model to assess the hydrological sustainability of the Tempisque-Bebedero basin in Costa Rica.
Melisa’s professional journey has taken her to work with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Network of Social Studies in Disaster Prevention in Latin America (La RED) and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), amongst others.