Contact Information
j2thistl@uwaterloo.ca
EV3 4267
Personal Page
@jasonthistle
Jason Thistlethwaite is an Associate Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. His work focuses on how climate and disaster risk assessment can be used to unlock economic opportunity, support better investment decisions, and strengthen resilience to extreme weather. His research examines the role of insurance, finance, and public policy in translating climate risk into practical action.
He works closely with business and government leaders in insurance, real estate, infrastructure, and finance. He is a co-founder of the Climate Risk Research Group, which is focused on turning complex climate and flood risk data into clear, decision-ready intelligence. Jason is a frequent speaker and media contributor on Canada’s growing exposure to extreme weather.
Courses Taught
- ENBUS 408: Best Practices in Environmental Regulation
- ENBUS 410: Introduction to Sustainability Management
- SUSM 601: Stakeholder Engagement
Selected Publications
Chakraborty, L., Taherimashhadi, H., Thistlethwaite, J., & Henstra, D. (2026). A probabilistic framework for spatio-temporal social vulnerability assessment to flood hazards in Canada using Bayesian machine learning. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis, 10(1). (Accepted)
Ventura, J., Oulahen, G., Nguyen, C., Mitchell, C. L., Henstra, D., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2025). Flood adaptation policy alignment with resident perceptions of resilience in Vancouver. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. (In press)
Chakraborty, L., Spinney, J. A., Malomo, D., Thistlethwaite, J., Motlaghzadeh, K., Jahangir, S. M., Henstra, D., Andrews, S., & Pulatsu, B. (2025). Assessing the environmental justice implications of seismic risk in the Ottawa–Gatineau and Montreal metropolitan areas. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. (In press)
Ventura, J., Oulahen, G., Henstra, D., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2025). Flood risk management policies and conceptualizations of resilience in Vancouver, Canada. Environmental Hazards. (In press)
Morin, G., Boudreault, M., Thistlethwaite, J., Bourdeau-Brien, M., Chenette, J., & Henstra, D., & Raikes, J. (2025). Economic exposure of Canadian residential properties to flooding. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 18(1).
Cottar, S., Henstra, D., Thistlethwaite, J., Doberstein, B., & Wandel, J. (2025). Navigating land use after managed retreat: Decisions facing local governments in the post-buyout environment. Environmental Hazards.
Minano, A., Thistlethwaite, J., & Henstra, D. (2024). Conceptualizing and evaluating the role of a data platform for strengthening flood risk governance. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103, 1–15.
Darlington, C., Raikes, J., Henstra, D., Thistlethwaite, J., & Raven, E. K. (2024). Mapping current and future flood exposure using a 5-metre flood model and climate change projections. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 24(2), 699–714. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-699-2024
Minano, A., Thistlethwaite, J., & Henstra, D. (2024). Evaluating a public–private data-sharing platform for improving flood insurance availability and affordability. Regional Environmental Change, 24, Article 102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02102-7
Raikes, J., Henstra, D., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2023). Public attitudes toward policy instruments for flood risk management. Environmental Management, 72(5), 1050–1060.
Raikes, J., Henstra, D., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2023). Managed retreat from high-risk flood areas: Exploring public attitudes and expectations about property buyouts. Environmental Hazards, 22(2), 136–151.
Degrees
- Ph.D. - Global Governance, University of Waterloo
- M.A. Political Science, Western Univeristy
- B.A. - Political Science, Western University