Julia M. Cardwell

Julia Cardwell is a Ph.D student in the Geography Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is advised by Dr. Chip Konrad. She has a B.A from Davidson College in Environmental Studies (minor in Data Science), and an M.A in Geography from UNC Chapel Hill.

She is interested in s vulnerability to extreme weather events in rural areas in the southeastern United States, with a focus on mixed-methods approaches. Her dissertation work will examine road network connectivity and vulnerability to weather related road closures in North Carolina.

Her M.A research examined trends in recovery aid concentration in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence and uses social/community variables to predict divergences in recovery aid concentration after controlling for physical damage. Her other research projects have examined news sentiment towards FEMA, trends in insurance uptake after hurricanes in North Carolina,  community sentiment towards a floodplain buyout program in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the impact of road closures on EMS response time in western North Carolina.

Julia lives in Carrboro, North Carolina with her cat, Finn. She enjoys rock climbing, true crime, brewing craft beer, and reading non-fiction.