Welcome! 

I’m Selena Hinojos, a researcher, engineer, and geography enthusiast working to push the boundaries of how we quantify social vulnerability and environmental injustice. My work focuses on critically rethinking existing tools and models—asking not just how they work, but how they should work—by integrating systems thinking and equity-driven approaches to make them more reflective of lived realities and more useful for just decision-making. 

Currently, I serve as a postdoctoral researcher and technical project manager at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Institute for Coastal & Water Research. In this role, I help lead efforts for a project initiative titled HydroRISE, which seeks to reverse the disproportionate impacts of hydroclimatic extremes across the Gulf through justice-minded research and collaborative adaptation planning, a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary effort. 

My research aims to co-produce social and environmental vulnerability tools tailored to Gulf Coast communities. By amplifying the voices of community organizations, public agencies, flooding experts, and other local stakeholders, my team aims to advance equity-centered research and guide inclusive adaptation planning throughout the region.