Chris Funk is a senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center and Research Director for the Climate Hazards Center at University of California, Santa Barbara, United States. Since 1999 he has worked closely with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, developing new techniques, data sets, and methods for improved drought early warning. He has published over 140 papers and reports, and currently helps guide the development of early warning and climate adaptation science for the U.S. Geological Survey, working closely with partners from UCSB, USAID, NASA, and NOAA.