Disaster Risk Management
The need to understand and respond to disaster risk is increasing. The impacts of climate change, rapid urbanization, increasing social inequalities, and intensifying industrialization, are resulting in an increasingly complex environment that represents a significant risk for populations across the globe. This includes the loss of lives and livelihoods, the erosion of quality of life, destruction of the ecosystem, social and political upheaval and the potential for violence. This work is informed by a fundamental concern about the impact of climate change.
Despite the pressing need to address these issues, there is a significant lack of research into the breadth of these issues. This research theme is applying cutting edge social science to these problems. Drawing together strengths in security studies, sociology, disaster studies, development studies, and science and technology studies (STS), we are focused on the societal and political drivers and impacts of disasters, and the construction of risk, and resilience.
Addressing these issues requires interdisciplinary work, and we collaborate regularly with engineering, earth sciences, geography, history, and law. Our researchers have extensive research ties across the UK, and globally, and we have significant regional expertise in the Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Balkans and Latin America. We are a founding partner of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR), and a key participant in the CABOT Institute.
Our research has been funded by RCUK, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), and the European Commission. Current projects are underway in Peru, Kenya, Turkey, Ecuador and Nepal.
Current projects:
We are a partner in the GCRF Tomorrow's Cities hub, which is seeking to reduce urban risk in low and middle income states.