Amanda Fencl
Staff Scientist
Amanda works in the Water Resources Program at the Somerville office of SEI-US. Amanda’s research interests lie at the intersection of climate change and sustainable development, with a focus on vulnerability and adaptation to the impacts of climate change on water systems. Since 2007, Amanda has provided technical assistance to developing countries primarily for assessments of vulnerability to adverse climate change impacts and integration of climate risks into local, national, and regional policies and planning processes. She provided technical assistance and capacity building in the preparation Second National Communications under the UNFCCC regarding assessing of sector vulnerability, including an emphasis on mapping coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Through her work at SEI, Amanda has contributed to climate change adaptation planning in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Prior to joining SEI, Amanda worked for the Tufts Climate Initiative and the Office of Sustainability on an array of campus greening and outreach projects. She also spent five months in Madagascar studying ecology, conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. Her interdisciplinary thesis explored the relationship between microcredit, social-ecological resilience, and sustainable development in Tuléar, Madagascar. Amanda was a 2006 Udall Foundation Scholar, and received her B.A. in International Relations and Environmental Studies from Tufts University in 2007. Amanda is also a classically trained double bassist and plays in the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra.