Welcome to CIRCAD

An Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) integrating data science and modeling, risk assessment and decision theory, and economic and policy analysis to develop innovative solutions to society’s climate challenges.

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CIRCAD Announces Inaugural Industry Partners and Research Portfolio

The Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions (CIRCAD), an NSF Industry–University Cooperative Research Center, has launched its inaugural industry partnerships and research portfolio. Founding partners include American Family Insurance, Aon, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), Liberty Mutual, NASA, USAA, and WTW.

In collaboration with these partners, CIRCAD’s first research portfolio features four interdisciplinary projects addressing critical challenges in climate risk, resilience, and decision-making:

Incentive Dynamics in Climate Resilience Systems: Insurance, Public Infrastructure, and Private Adaptation;
Climate-Driven Aging, Dynamic Vulnerability, and Economic Network Cost Evaluation;
Framing Environmental Risk: Modeling the Process of Climate-Contingent Investment; and
High-Resolution Weather Risk Assessment for Seasonal to Decadal Planning.

These efforts reflect CIRCAD’s mission to connect academic research with industry needs, generating insights that support more informed decisions in the face of increasing risk.

CIRCAD Inaugural Partnerships and Research Portfolio

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Our Vision

The Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions (CIRCAD) is an interdisciplinary, solution-oriented research center dedicated to addressing the escalating financial and societal consequences of natural hazards, extreme events, and systemic disruptions. As disaster-related losses accelerate, insurers face increasing challenges in maintaining coverage availability and affordability, while households, communities, and capital markets confront growing exposure and uncertainty.

CIRCAD offers a novel response: a structured partnership that brings together academic researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders to co-produce tools, models, and strategies essential for navigating a complex and evolving risk landscape. Through this convening role, CIRCAD aligns cutting-edge research with the real-world priorities of insurers and risk managers, advancing data-driven decision frameworks, next-generation insurance products, and innovative risk-transfer mechanisms.

In parallel, CIRCAD serves as a hub for professional training and workforce development, engaging students, postdoctoral researchers, and practitioners in interdisciplinary, applied research. These efforts strengthen the sector’s technical capacity while positioning insurance, reinsurance, and financial services as central actors in advancing national resilience

The Partnership

CIRCAD projects are co-designed with industry partners and structured for near-term application. Each is evaluated not only for scientific rigor but also for practical relevance, usability, and scalability.

Our Expertise

CIRCAD consists of two academic sites (Duke University and the University of Georgia) and a number of collaborating partner institutions. We have over 30 faculty and senior researchers ready to work with industry on projects related to climate risk and resilience. Our faculty span the fields of engineering, climate science, public policy, decision science, economics, law, statistics, and computing. CIRCAD’s competitive advantage arises not only from our disciplinary expertise, but also our ability to integrate across disciplines to develop innovative and actionable solutions. CIRCAD’s areas of expertise include:

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