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From the earthquake in Haiti at the start of 2010, the decade, according to the Guardian, was defined by successive international refugee crises, natural disasters and conflict. The UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR) was founded in 2010 as a Provost’s strategic initiative with a mission to lead research, knowledge exchange and teaching in risk and disaster reduction across UCL. Budding off from the IRDR, we launched the Humanitarian Institute in 2016, aiming to mobilise UCL’s research, expertise, teaching and the student body to impact global humanitarian challenges. These are ambitious tasks and as part of the UCL Grand Challenges we aspire to the vision of UCL in 2034, for creating a global university champion for the UK in humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction. See the decade in pictures on our website.
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Image: Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland (Credit: rachelcifelli. Source: Flickr)
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In 2019, the IRDR achieved much. Following the success of their network proposal, Professor Maureen Fordham and Dr Punam Yadav, in the IRDR Centre for Gender and Disaster, will launch their programme for Gender Responsive Resilience and Intersectionality in Policy and Practice. Newly promoted professors, Patty Kostkova and Ilan Kelman were both successful in winning £1+ million grants through the Belmont Forum for their projects “Mosquitoes population modelling for early warning system and rapid response by public health authorities” and “Community collective action to respond to climate change influencing the environment” respectively. These brought the total research funding won by the IRDR in 2019 from research councils, Royal Society and British Academy to £8 million. To put this figure into perspective, it exceeds the funding won in 2019 by the Department of Earth Sciences or Geography, who each have four to five times the number of academic staff. We also need to congratulate Patty who has been named 'Innovator of the Year' at the Computing Women in IT Excellence Awards 2019 for her leadership of the GADSA project for a Gamified Antimicrobial Stewardship Decision Support App.
2020 will be a further year of growth for the IRDR. We currently have an advert out for a new Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies. The job description and details of how to apply can be found on our website. We have strategic bids in for two further appointments in the humanitarian field. These span from humanitarian data science to the social and historical sciences. We are also recruiting a Global Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for the Gender Responsive Resilience project. So please spread the word.
The IRDR has a full programme of public events, starting with a Special Seminar by Mami Mizutori, Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, on Tuesday 14 January. On 19 February we hold an Evening Conference, addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, on Natural Hazards, Disasters and Conflict in the Himalaya, followed the next day by a Humanitarian Masterclass on “Earth Observation and Natural Hazards”. Both these events are organised jointly with the University of Kashmir. They are open to all and we are especially keen to encourage the participation of school students and their teachers interested in international development to the evening conference. On 26 February we have the IRDR Careers and Opportunities Fair. For further details and registration for all these events, please see the panel below.
We welcome to the IRDR Sarah Jeal as Communications and Events Manager. We also welcome new PhD students Xuanrong Wang, Aisha Aldosery and Bernice Nkekeh.
There is clearly much work still to be done. Reducing the impact of disasters and improving the response to humanitarian crises are complex challenges that require cross-disciplinary responses. Do join us!
Happy New Year!
Peter Sammonds
Director, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction
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New career opportunities in the IRDR
We're recruiting for three new roles: a Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies, and a Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator and a Research Finance Manager for the new GRRIPP project – a network on Gender and Intersectionality.
Read more about our current vacancies
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Professor Patty Kostkova 'Innovator of the Year' 2019
Professor Patty Kostkova has been named 'Innovator of the Year' at the Computing Women in IT Excellence Awards 2019 for her leadership of the GADSA project.
Find out more about the award
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New undergraduate programme will welcome students in autumn 2021
Unique in the UK, our BSc Global Humanitarian Studies programme has received final approval and will be recruiting students in early spring. Full programme details will be available on our website soon.
Find out more about the programme
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New open-access organisational resilience guidance available now
The guidelines on organisational resilience for severe space weather and global navigation satellite service failures (GNSS) are the result of a collaboration between UCL's Mullard Space Laboratory and IRDR and provide practitioners with quick-reference actions for maintaining operational continuity.
Download the guidelines
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IRDR Special Seminar: Changing Risk in a Changing World
14 January, 5–6pm
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Ms Mami Mizutori, explores the fast-changing landscape of disaster risk, the challenges, and how to risk-proof our future.
Find out more about the event
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UCL Humanitarian Institute evening conference: Natural Hazards, Conflicts and Disasters in the Himalaya. Where now the future?
19 February, 6–8pm
Find out how natural hazards, conflict and disasters all impact on the Himalaya and what lies ahead for the region.
Find out more and book tickets
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UCL Humanitarian Institute Masterclass: Earth Observation and Natural Hazards
20 February, 10am – 4pm
Join our one-day masterclass on Earth Observation technology, including how it is used to monitor and mitigate natural hazards and reduce disaster risks.
Find out more and book tickets
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UCL IRDR Careers and Opportunities Fair
26 February, 6.30–8pm
This event showcases the range of careers and other opportunities available in risk and disaster reduction. If you are interested in exhibiting at the event, please contact Rosanna.smith@ucl.ac.uk
Find out more about the event
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IRDR Student Alumni Mixer
26 March, 6.30–9pm
We welcome our past students back to UCL at this invitation-only evening event, which provides an opportunity for our staff and students to meet and network with IRDR alumni.
Find out more about the event
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Staff in the IRDR have have been successful in winning a number of grants.
The Centre for Gender and Disaster won a £5.1million UKRI Collective Fund grant for the Gender Responsive Resilience & Intersectionality in Policy and Practice (GRRIPP) project.
In addition to Prof Patty Kostkova’s £1million Belmont Forum award, the IRDR Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies (dPHE) also won funding for three other projects. A £29,921 Royal College of Physicians award for Development of digital tools to aid detection and management of tuberculosis; £98,532.21 from GCRF UCL Internal Small Grants for Mobile decision support tool to enable effective decentralised management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in adults and children; and an Innovate UK and Newton Ungku-Omar Fund award worth £23,424 for SYMBIOTIC: Social industrial symbiosis of Malaysia's bioplastic wastes.
Ilan Kelman received a Belmont award to the value of £1million for Community collective action to respond to climate change influencing the environment.
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We congratulate the following students, who were awarded prizes at the IRDR dinner in November in recognition of their achievements.
- Rachel Willett: IRDR Masters Prize
- Lucy Tyack: IRDR MRes Project Prize
- Philip Baker: IRDR MSc Project Prize
- Mark Wareing: IRDR Masters Poster Prize
- Omar Velázquez Ortiz: IRDR PhD Student Prize for outstanding contribution to the IRDR
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Dr Bayes Ahmed
Dr Bayes Ahmed is an early-career researcher and lecturer in risk and disaster science, statistics for quantitative research, and advanced GIS & RS. He joined the staff in 2017, after completing his PhD with the IRDR, and his work has just achieved 1,000 citations.
"I work at the intersection between conflict and disasters with a vision to help improve the living standards of forced migrants and stateless populations.
“I am passionate about working with grass-roots people to understand their disaster vulnerabilities and producing effective policy recommendations to address their problems.”
Read Dr Ahmed's profile
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Ilan Kelman spoke to both the BBC World Service and BBC Today programme for the 15th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami. He also provided insight into the Australian bush fires on a number of media outlets, including talkRADIO, CNN, iNews, Newsweek and Erie News Now.
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The Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR) leads research, advanced teaching, policy engagement and knowledge exchange with industry and humanitarian agencies, in risk and disaster reduction across UCL. We welcome new members, who can access a number of benefits, including member-only events.
Find out more about the IRDR and how to join.
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