I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage. My research focuses on the economics of natural disasters, climate adaptation, and public lands.

Some current projects investigate welfare damages of wildfire smoke for outdoor recreation, adaptation to climate change and natural disasters in homeowners insurance markets, and the effect of natural disaster forecasts and alerts on evacuations.

I hold a PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a researcher at the Earth Research Institute in Santa Barbara I worked on interdisciplinary wildfire issues with economists, ecologists, meteorologists, and other natural scientists. Previously I worked as an energy economics consultant, where I advised utilities and tribes on energy decisions and produced expert witness testimony for entities such as the US Department of Justice and the Illinois Attorney General.

I have experience as an instructor for undergraduate microeconomics at the University of Alaska Anchorage. At the University of California, Santa Barbara I also served as a teaching assistant in natural resource economics, intermediate microeconomic theory, econometrics, and statistics. I enjoy mentoring students on coding, research projects, and professional development. Previously I taught English in the French school system for students aged 13 to 15.

Personal interests include guitar, French, punk, new wave, art, hiking, and basketball.

Email: jgellman@alaska.edu.