Kai Parker

Background

About

Innovative coastal scientist with over a decade of experience in coastal hazard modeling, climate adaptation, and stakeholder-driven science across the U.S. West Coast. Proven leader in developing and managing multi-million-dollar projects at the USGS, with a strong foundation in numerical modeling, geospatial analysis, and nature-based solutions. Adept at translating complex data into actionable insights for diverse audiences, from policymakers to local communities. Passionate about mentoring, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and advancing coastal resilience through science-based planning and communication.

Work Experience

Physical Scientist,
Mar, 2024 - Present
Founded the company that brought electric light to households and businesses.
- Technical lead for CoSMoS modelling in the Salish Sea, delivering actionable coastal hazard data impacting populations in the millions.
- Managed team and budget (external funding totaling >4 million) with demonstrated success at product delivery and generation of new partners/projects.
- Lead collaboration with multiple partners and sustained engagement with diverse stakeholders including tribes, counties, communities, and federal and academic partners.
Oceanographer,
Mar, 2020 - Mar, 20244 years
Co-founded General Electric, one of the largest and most diversified industrial corporations in the world.
- Designed coastal modelling workflows allowing a small team to develop multi-hazard datasets at regional scales (entire Southeast Atlantic).
- Developed data pipelines to efficiently process 30+ TB of data into stakeholder-ready products.
- Work on adaptation solutions to address ecosystem degradation and coastal hazard risk.
Fulbright Scholar ,
Jan, 2019 - Jan, 20191 day
Co-founded General Electric, one of the largest and most diversified industrial corporations in the world.
- Application of machine learning techniques for long-term wave and shoreline change hindcasting in resource poor (computational and data) environments.
- Contributed to adaptation planning efforts for a critical Chilean coastal site (Pichilemu).
Graduate Research Assistant (OSU) ,
Sep, 2014 - Jun, 20183 years 9 months
Co-founded General Electric, one of the largest and most diversified industrial corporations in the world.
- User-centered design, bridging research to stakeholders for community adaptation to risk.
- Large interdisciplinary team including public policy, economics, ecology, and more.
- Developed new hybrid machine learning/physical modeling methodology for robust probabilistic coastal hazard assessments.

Skills

Programming Languages
Python

Matlab

R

Git

Bash

Fortran
Physical Modelling
Delft3d

Adcirc

SFINCS

Xbeach

SWAN

many others
Geospatial
ArcGIS Pro

QGIS

GDAL

Python Geospatial (Geopandas, Rasterio, RioXarray, etc.

many others
Certifications
Engineer-in-Training (State of California)

Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching
Data Science
Big data (>30 TB) workflows,

Neural Networks

Ensemble Techniques and Monte Carlo Simulations

Regression Analysis

Baysian Statistics
HPC
SLURM

MPI enabled workflows

linux

Deep-learning
Fieldwork Certifications
Wilderness First Responder

CPR

Scuba Open Water

Motorboat (MOCC)

Jetski and ATV operator

Education

Coastal Engineering, PhD, Oregon State University
Sep, 2013 - Jun, 2018
Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science, California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo
Sep, 2007 - Jun, 2012

Publications

Electric Light and Power , Scientific American
Published on: Jan 01, 1880
A paper detailing the development and impact of electric light and power systems.

Interests

Research and Development
InnovationsExperimentation

References

Henry Ford
Thomas Edison was a brilliant inventor and a visionary businessman. His work has had a profound impact on the modern world.