Cassandra Hansen

At Johns Hopkins, Cassandra “Cassie” Hansen is the Program Director and a senior lecturer for the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and MS in Geographic Information Systems programs.

Hansen completed her GIS certification and undergraduate degree at Humboldt State University, where she found her true passion for cartography and translating complicated information into cartographically pleasing visualization resources.

She obtained a master’s degree and PhD in geosciences, with an emphasis on atmospheric dynamics and physical geography, from the University of Nevada, Reno. While at UNR, she worked in the State of Nevada Climate Office, where she conducted field research in remote regions of the state and participated in research at the Desert Research Institute. Her doctoral research focused on the numerical modeling of atmospheric rivers and extreme snowfall events in Northern California.

Her unique background in GIS for emergency management has taken her around the country to help collect data and database schema for creating dynamic field maps used on wildfires for damage assessment. When she is not teaching, Hansen enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and fishing with her family.

Featured Works

Hansen often hosts and participates in AAP’s Sustainable Solutions Speaker Series, which tackles a wide range of topical issues related to the environment.