BATON ROUGE — Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty 2026 annual meeting took place at The Water Campus in Baton Rouge on Monday. 

The four-day international conference hosted by The Water Institute brought together leading researchers, policymakers, planners and practitioners to explore how governments, businesses and communities can make better decisions in the face of an increasingly uncertain future. 

The conference was opened by former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu who brought her extensive experience in public policy, disaster recovery, energy and coastal protection. 

The annual meeting focusses on developing and applying approached that help decision makers plan for multiple possible futures rather than relying on a single prediction. 

"Louisiana understands firsthand what it means to make consequential decisions without knowing exactly what the future holds," said Beaux Jones, President and CEO of The Water Institute. "From coastal protection and flood risk to infrastructure and economic development, we face challenges that demand both sound science and practical solutions."

The conference featured plenary discussions and technical sessions examining applications across coastal resilience, climate adaptation, artificial intelligence, public policy, water resources, energy, infrastructure and global security.