Annalise Blum

Annalise Blum, PhD, is a hydrologist with expertise in climate, water and national security policy. Most recently, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the US Department of the Interior, where she worked to advance science policy and helped oversee the U.S. Geological Survey.  Previously, she led climate and environmental security policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, where was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. While at DoD, Annalise led the DoD Climate Risk Analysis, the first DoD report to address strategic and international implications of climate change on national security, and also initiated DoD’s first table top exercise on climate security.

 Prior to her time in federal government, Annalise spent a decade leading multi-disciplinary research focused on water security, extreme events, and climate change impacts. She has worked or served as a fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society’s Policy Program, Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She holds a PhD in environmental and water resources engineering from Tufts University, MS from UNC-Chapel Hill, and BS from Stanford University.