J ORDAN R. F ISCHBACH
4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 | 412.683.2300 x4608 | jordan_fischbach@rand.org
EDUCATION
PARDEE RAND GRADUATE SCHOOL, SANTA MONICA, CA
Ph.D. in Policy Analysis
Dissertation: “Managing New Orleans Flood Risk in an Uncertain Future
Using Non-Structural Risk Mitigation”
2010
M.Phil in Policy Analysis
2006
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK, NY
B.A. in History (department honors, summa cum laude)
2001
AWARDS
President’s Choice Award, RAND Corporation
Herbert Goldhamer Memorial Award, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Rothenberg Dissertation Award, Pardee RAND Graduate School
RGSPI Scholars Dissertation Award, RAND Gulf States Policy Institute
Merit Bonus Award (Silver), RAND Corporation
Spot OJT Award, RAND Corporation
Vogelstein Scholarship, Pardee RAND Graduate School
2012
2010
2008 – 2009
2007 – 2008
2007
2007
2004
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
RAND CORPORATION, SANTA MONICA, CA
Associate Policy Researcher
Assistant Policy Analyst
2010 – present
2004 – 2010
PARDEE RAND GRADUATE SCHOOL, SANTA MONICA, CA
Core Faculty, Pardee RAND Graduate School
2011 – present
THE CADMUS GROUP, INC., HELENA, MT AND WATERTOWN, MA
Analyst
2001 – 2004
NATIONAL ARTS JOURNALISM PROGRAM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK, NY
Research Assistant
1999 – 2000
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Using RDM to Manage Climate and Other Uncertainties in EPA’s National Water Program
(co-PI)
Co-principal investigator on an ongoing study designed to assess the value of Robust
Decision Making for planning activities within EPA’s Office of Water. Serving as technical
lead on multiple tasks, including a case study applying RDM to a specific set of EPA
decisions.
Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management Tools for Climate Change:
Assessing Potential Impacts and Identifying Adaptation Options
2011 – Present
2011 – Present
J ORDAN R. F ISCHBACH
P AGE 2
Currently applying Robust Decision Making in a pilot study with the Colorado Springs
Utilities designed to improve the robustness their long-term Integrated Water Resources
Plan; technical lead.
Applying the Coastal Louisiana Risk Assessment (CLARA) Model to Support Louisiana’s
2012 Coastal Master Plan (PI)
Principal investigator on a multiyear effort to develop and apply a storm-surge flood risk
model for coastal Louisiana, which supports the development of Louisiana’s 2012 Master
Plan for a Sustainable Coast; responsibilities included flood elevation and damage
assessment methodology development; management of a large project team, budget
management, outreach to clients at the State of Louisiana and coordination with four
partner organizations, and briefings to technical oversight panels, stakeholders, and
members of the public.
2010 – 2012
Decision Making under Uncertainty in the Colorado River Basin (co-PI)
Applied robust decision methods to support Reclamation’s Colorado River Basin Study
and to consider the potential effects of growing water demand and climate change on
future basin water supply reliability; study awarded a “Partners In Conservation” award
from the U.S. Department of Interior in 2012.
2010 – 2012
Reducing New Orleans Storm-Surge Flood Risk in an Uncertain Future
Identified the grant opportunity and co-wrote a successful proposal for a two-year
NOAA-funded project; worked with the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security to
consider the benefits and costs of local hurricane risk mitigation programs under
planning uncertainty.
2009 – 2012
A Review of the Army’s Modular Force Structure
Performed a series of informal interviews with Army officers to assess the performance
of modular units in the field; applied and extended an existing ARFORGEN modeling
framework to assess modular transition effects on support brigades.
2010
Implementation Support for the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration
Built an optimization-based scheduling and prioritization tool to support development of
the Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Plan: Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection in
Louisiana; co-wrote successful proposal.
2008 – 2009
Implications of Future Climate Change and Restoration Policy for Gulf Coast Fisheries
Working in conjunction with coastal restoration and fisheries experts, developed a
decision model and applied exploratory modeling methods to evaluate remediation
strategies for the possible effects of climate change on coastal fisheries.
2007 – 2008
Characterizing Performing Arts Program Enhancement Events
Provided statistical analysis for a study using survey data to develop profiles of
enhancement event attendees and consider the effects of attendance on patrons’
perceptions of their performance experiences.
2007 – 2008
Army Network Functionality: Expectations, Performance, and Potential
Worked as the lead statistical analyst on two survey efforts designed to assess the
functionality of communication networks for Army officers in the field.
2006 – 2007
J ORDAN R. F ISCHBACH
P AGE 3
Applying Robust Decisionmaking to the Risk-Informed Decision Framework for LACPR
Developed proof-of-concept model describing the risks of storm-surge damage and
land/habitat loss in the area surrounding New Orleans; incorporated deep uncertainty
regarding sea level rise, hurricane frequency and intensity, system reliability, and
economic redevelopment into model framework, and assisted with subsequent RDM
analysis for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration (LACPR) team.
2006
Evaluating Increased Water Use Efficiency in Commercial Buildings
Created and documented the BEAM (Building Efficiency Analysis Model) analysis tool
designed to allow commercial building managers to analyze their potential cost savings
from installing water efficient technologies under conditions of water price uncertainty;
applied in an example case study.
2005 – 2006
Mixed Future Force Investment Strategies for Alternative Futures
Helped develop a methodology based on Assumption Based Planning to allow Army
Acquisition planners to better understand their investment decisions in the face of longterm uncertainty.
2005
PUBLICATIONS
Fischbach, J. R., D.R. Johnson, D.S. Ortiz, B. Bryant, M. Hoover, J. Ostwald, 2012. Coastal Louisiana Risk
Assessment Model: Technical Description and 2012 Coastal Master Plan Analysis Results. TR-1259-CPRA, RAND
Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
D.R. Johnson, Fischbach, J. R., D.S. Ortiz, 2012. Estimating Surge-Based Flood Risk with the Coastal Louisiana
Risk Assessment Model. Journal of Coastal Research, submitted.
Fischbach, J.R., D.G. Groves, D.R. Johnson, C. Sharon, 2013. Comparing Risk Reduction Benefits and Costs from
Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan. In preparation.
Fischbach, J.R., D.G. Groves, D.R. Johnson, H. Willis, 2013. Reducing Flood Risk in New Orleans Through LocallyBased Solutions: An Analysis of Robust Non-Structural Flood Risk Strategies. In preparation.
Fischbach, J. R., D. Johnson, D.S. Ortiz, B. Bryant, M. Hoover, J. Ostwald, 2012. Appendix D-25: Risk Assessment
(CLARA) Model Technical Report, in Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, LA.
Fischbach, J. R., D. G. Groves, R. Keefe, 2012. Decision Making Under Uncertainty in the Colorado River Basin:
Proof of Concept Analysis and Initial Findings. PM-4023-BOR, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Johnson , S. E., J. E. Peters, K. E. Kitchens, A. L. Martin, J. R. Fischbach, 2012. A Review of the Army's Modular
Force Structure. TR-927-2-OSD, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Bonds, T., J. E. Peters, E. Y. Min, L. A. Galway, J. R. Fischbach, E. Gons, G. D. Heath, J. M. Jones, 2012. Army
Network-Enabled Operations: Expectations, Performance, and Opportunities for Future Improvements. MG-788A, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Lempert, R. J., J. R. Fischbach, A. Tariq, J. Moini, E. Bloom, 2011. Using RDM to Manage Climate and Other
Uncertainties in EPA’s National Water Program Task 3 Report: Evaluating Priority Needs for Climate-Related
Decision Tools. PM-3928-EPA, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
J ORDAN R. F ISCHBACH
P AGE 4
Fischbach, J. R., 2010. Managing New Orleans Flood Risk in an Uncertain Future Using Non-Structural Risk
Mitigation. RGSD-262, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Groves, D. G., J. R. Fischbach, C. Sharon, 2009. Appendix B: A new approach for prioritizing coastal protection
and restoration projects, in Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Plan: Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane
Protection in Coastal Louisiana, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, LA.
Groves, D. G., J. R. Fischbach, S. Hickey, 2007. Evaluating the Benefits and Costs of Increased Water Use
Efficiency in Commercial Buildings. TR-461-Nathanson, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
J.E. Peters, B. Held, M.V. Hynes, B. Nichiporuk, C. Hanks, J. R. Fischbach, 2007. A Methodology for Developing
Army Acquisition Strategies for an Uncertain Future. MG-532-A, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
COMMENTARIES
Cecchine, G., D.G. Groves, J.R. Fischbach, 2012. In Wake of Hurricane Sandy, Look to Louisiana for Lessons.
RAND.org, November 1.
Cecchine, G., J.R. Fischbach, 2012. Has the Gulf Coast Learned Katrina's Lessons in Time for Isaac? U.S. News
and World Report, August 28.
PRESENTATIONS
Fischbach, J.R., 2012. Identifying Strategies to Reduce Flood Risk in New Orleans that are More Robust to
Future Uncertainty. Presentation at the State of the Coast Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Fischbach, J.R., 2012. Louisiana Coastal Master Plan: Application of the Coastal Louisiana Risk Assessment
(CLARA) Model to Predict Project Performance. Presentation at the State of the Coast Conference, New
Orleans, LA.
Fischbach, J.R., 2012. Predicting the Future of Coastal Louisiana: Applying the Coastal Louisiana Risk
Assessment (CLARA) Model to Assess Long-Term Benefits from Flood Risk Reduction Projects. Presentation at
the International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.
Fischbach, J.R., 2012. Protecting and Restoring Louisiana’s Coast: Applying the Coastal Louisiana Risk
Assessment (CLARA) Model to Support Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan. Invited presentation for the
Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
Fischbach, J.R., 2010. Tools for Integrating Climate Uncertainty into Water Resources Planning. Invited
presentation to the NCAR Early Career Scientist Assembly Junior Faculty Forum on Future Scientific Directions,
Boulder, CO.
Keefe, R.M. and J.R. Fischbach, 2010. Climate Change on the Colorado River: A Method to Search for Robust
Management Strategies. Presentation to the American Water Resources Association Annual Water Resources
Conference, Seattle, WA.
Fischbach, J.R., 2007. Evaluating the Benefits and Costs of Increased Water-Use Efficiency in Commercial
Buildings. Presentation to the American Water Resources Association Annual Water Resources Conference,
Albuquerque, NM.