Natalie Fiertz is a Research Associate with the Environmental Security Program at the Stimson Center. Her research focuses on climate security, coastal vulnerability to climate risks, and the impacts of climate change on conflict-affected and fragile contexts. Prior to joining Stimson, she worked at the Fund for Peace (FFP) where she focused on issues of conflict early warning and response, state fragility and resilience, and mercury use in small-scale and artisanal gold mining in West Africa and beyond. At FFP, her responsibilities included managing the annual Fragile States Index and leading the creation of the upcoming Resilience Index for Defining Effective Response. She has also worked for the African Development Bank, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Natalie holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where she focused on climate policy and subnational security and graduated summa cum laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in public policy studies and economics.
