Stephen Brown is a sociology doctoral student at Rice University. His research interests include environmental sociology, disasters, and urban sociology, with a focus on how communities experience and respond to climate risk. His current research examines homeowners who have experienced flooding and subsequently participated in government-funded buyout programs. He uses qualitative interviews to better understand their decision-making processes and lived experiences. Stephen Brown earned his M.A. in sociology from the University at Buffalo. Stephen is originally from Buffalo, New York.