{"686048":{"#nid":"686048","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Community Spotlight - Ali Sarhadi","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/d7.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/sarhadi-dr-ali\u0022\u003EAli Sarhadi\u003C\/a\u003E and his research team at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sarhadi.eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EClimate Risk and Extreme Dynamics Lab\u003C\/a\u003E are focused on a growing threat: hurricanes fueled by a warming climate. These storms are no longer behaving like those of the past \u2014 and his research is helping explain why. \u201cPeople often think hurricanes are about wind, but water is by far the deadliest part,\u201d\u0026nbsp;says\u0026nbsp;Sarhadi, assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u201cWhat\u2019s alarming now is how quickly storms intensify and how much flooding they unleash.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the future frequency of hurricanes remains uncertain, scientists agree on key trends: A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, fueling heavier rainfall. Rising sea levels are amplifying storm surge. Warmer ocean temperatures fuel rapid storm growth. When these factors combine, researchers call this phenomenon hurricane-induced compound flooding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESarhadi studies\u0026nbsp;this phenomenon. \u201cIn a warming climate, this type of flooding is becoming more frequent and more severe,\u201d he explains. \u201cWith U.S. hurricane damages exceeding $28 billion annually, most loss of life and destruction comes from water, not wind,\u201d says Sarhadi, who joined Georgia Tech in 2024 after postdoctoral work in MIT\u2019s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELearning From Hurricane Sandy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBuilding on insights from his postdoctoral work, Sarhadi has developed advanced physics-based and machine learning frameworks to model hurricane hazards such as storm surge and compound flooding and assess their potential economic impacts on coastal infrastructure. His models predict both hazard magnitude and how risk may evolve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe applied this framework to analyze\u0026nbsp;Hurricane Sandy, which struck New York City in 2012, causing $70 billion in damage. \u201cOur analysis shows that flooding events like Sandy may occur once every 150 years in the current climate,\u201d Sarhadi explains. \u201cBut with warming oceans and shifting storm dynamics, that timeline could shrink to once every 60 years by midcentury and once every 30 years by century\u2019s end.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELeveraging Georgia Tech\u2019s Multidisciplinary Strengths\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESarhadi says that joining Georgia Tech has opened the door to new interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at advancing hurricane forecasting and strengthening the resilience of coastal regions. From seawalls to AI-enhanced power grids and smarter warning systems, he sees real potential to reduce the vulnerability of communities facing increasingly severe storm impacts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m excited to be here. It\u2019s a vibrant and supportive community,\u201d Sarhadi says. \u201cThe students are incredibly bright and deeply passionate about science.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis research draws on the intersection of\u0026nbsp;engineering, physics-based modeling, and AI, reflecting Georgia Tech\u2019s broad strengths in climate resilience and computational science.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2024, Sarhadi received a seed grant to advance his research from the Georgia Tech College of Sciences (COS) Climate Frontiers Symposium, co-funded by COS, the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, and the Strategic Energy Institute. \u201cGeorgia Tech is strong in every direction,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s a highly collaborative environment where everyone is committed to advancing meaningful solutions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn Avid Soccer Player and Foodie\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOutside the lab, Sarhadi enjoys traveling and hiking. A longtime soccer enthusiast who once played semi-professionally, he still joins local pickup games. He also enjoys exploring Atlanta\u2019s diverse food scene. \u201cI really like Persian and Mexican cuisine \u2014 there are so many great restaurants here,\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 writen by Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher uses physics-based computational modeling to understand and mitigate hurricane risk in the age of climate change."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAli Sarhadi\u0027s research draws on the intersection of\u0026nbsp;engineering, physics-based modeling, and AI, reflecting Georgia Tech\u2019s broad strengths in climate resilience and computational science.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ali Sarhadi and his research team at GT\u0027s Climate Risk and Extreme Dynamics Lab are focused on a phenomenon called hurricane-induced compound flooding \u2014 hurricanes fueled by a warming climate."}],"uid":"27338","created_gmt":"2025-10-28 15:30:37","changed_gmt":"2025-10-28 20:17:03","author":"Brent Verrill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678480":{"id":"678480","type":"image","title":"Ali_Sarhadi_headshot_adjusted.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPortrait of Ali Sarhadi.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1761665449","gmt_created":"2025-10-28 15:30:49","changed":"1761665449","gmt_changed":"2025-10-28 15:30:49","alt":"Portrait of Ali Sarhadi.","file":{"fid":"262518","name":"Ali_Sarhadi_headshot_adjusted.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/28\/Ali_Sarhadi_headshot_adjusted.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/28\/Ali_Sarhadi_headshot_adjusted.png","mime":"image\/png","size":392737,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/28\/Ali_Sarhadi_headshot_adjusted.png?itok=8BDNkR1K"}}},"media_ids":["678480"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrent Verrill\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Program Manager, BBISS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}