Brent is a Professor of Geography and department chair at West Virginia University who worked for 14 years in some capacity with USAID's GeoCenter. He co-developed a method to determine household level vulnerability to climate, food price, health, economic and other shocks and is the co-founder of the YouthMappers network. Brent's academic research is in livelihood systems and adaptation to climate change. His regional specialties are southern and eastern Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean.