Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga

Professor of Disaster Management, Associate Head of School (International), Head of Centre for Disaster Resilience

• Maxwell Building Room 435
• T: +44 (0)161 295 4471
• E: r.d.g.amaratunga@salford.ac.uk
• SEEK: Research profile

Varied 

I am the Professor of Disaster Management at the School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, UK where I lead the University's Centre for Disaster Resilience, responsible for supporting research on disaster management portfolios. I am also the Associate Head of International Development for School of the Built Environment. An interdisciplinary background in Quantity Surveying, Facilities and Business Continuity Management, Education and Training, Gender and Disasters and Disaster Mitigation and Reconstruction provides me with the opportunities to work across a broader disaster management research agenda including developing partnerships of international research teams, government, NGOs and communities. I am the Co-Editor of International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, the only journal to promote research and scholarly activity that examines the role of building and construction to anticipate and respond to unexpected events that damage or destroy the built environment.

I have secured a number of significant, high profile grants thereby continuing research to improve the knowledge gap between the short term recovery and long term re-construction efforts associated with major disasters; raise awareness and develop skills; set up mechanisms for the transference of knowledge to the market, government and professionals; develop tools specific to each type of disasters; map gender relations and time use; assess access to and control of resources, and the different coping strategies, vulnerabilities and capabilities of men and women; and enhance the role of women as owners, users and creators of the built environment, including situations associated with pre-disaster and post-disaster.  I am the the Principle Investigator of "CEREBELLA: Community Engagement for Risk Erosion in Bangladesh to Enhance Life Long Advantage", an international collaborative project with Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh which is INSPIRE (International Strategic Partnerships in Research and Education) British Council funded.

I have presented widely at international conferences, have led international disaster management workshops and seminars and I am  working actively with the United Nations. I am an Advisory Panel Member of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Campaign on Resilient Cities 2010 - 2015. I have supervised and supported a wide range of Post Graduate Research students. To date I have produced over two hundred publications, refereed papers and reports, and have made a large number of presentations in around 25 countries. I am also a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

For further information on Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga please see the following web link www.dilanthiamaratunga.net

In collaborating with other universities and sharing knowledge and resources throughout the world and also in line with the University's Strategic Plan, I successfully led a partnership with Colombo School of Construction Technology (CSCT) in Sri Lanka to deliver our BSc Hons in Quantity Surveying degree programme in Sri Lanka (full franchise mode). There are no other current collaborative programmes delivered overseas of this nature. This initiative will help us to implement our Learning and Teaching Strategy incorporating an international, globalised learning experience, a focus on employability and support for student exchange/placements; increase international student recruitment; significantly increase international partnerships concerned with international student recruitment to off campus programmes (including articulations, joint programmes, exchanges and work placements); develop brand and communications strategy incorporating key messages and benefits for partners, prospective students and employees; and review the student experience with a focus on improving the international student experience.

My research focuses on disaster management for development, capability and capacity building in built environment, with a particular interest in disaster management and exploring construction's role in this context. I also have interests in the areas of facilities management its sustainability and performance management and process improvement initiatives. To date, I have over two hundred published papers, and currently supervising 12 PhDs. My interest in this research area was kindled in me whilst working as a research scholar at the University of Salford and I have  progressed in a number of different contexts through projects and with doctoral students and Research Assistants. In this context, my research interests include post disaster reconstruction including conflict mitigation, gender and projection; Capability and Capacity building in managing disasters; Socio-economic measures for conflict-affected re-construction and women in construction.

• BSc in Quantity Surveying (First Class Hons), 1993
• PhD, 2001, University of Salford, UK
• Member, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK, 2008
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy, 2002
• Advisory Panel Member, Making Cities Resilient, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
• Editor in chief, International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment

• Malalgoda, C., Amaratunga, D. & Haigh, R. (2013). Creating a disaster resilient built environment in urban cities: the role of local governments in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. Vol 4 (1). pp. 72-94.
• Amaratunga, D., Palliyaguru, R. & Haigh, R. (2013). Developing an approach to assess the influence of integrating disaster risk reduction practices into infrastructure reconstruction on socio-economic development. Disaster Prevention and Management. Vol. 22 (2). 
• Siriwardena, M., Malalgoda, C., Thayaparan, M., Amaratunga, D. and Keraminiyage, K.  (2013), ‘Disaster resilient built environment: role of lifelong learning and the implications for higher education’ International Journal of Strategic Property Management (in print – publication June 2013)
• Wedawatta, G., Kulatunga, U., Amaratunga, D. and Parvez, A. 'Community engagement for enhancing disaster resilience: Infrastructure requirements for south-western Bangladesh', Disasters Journal, (Under Review)
• Fernando, G., Amaratunga, D. & Haigh, R (accepted for publication and in press), 'The career advancement of the professional women in the UK construction industry: Career success factors',  Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology.
• Palliyaguru, R., Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R. & Baldry, D. (in press), 'Constructing a Holistic Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction: Significance of Focusing on Vulnerability Reduction'. Disasters Journal.
• Tobi, S., Amaratunga, D. & Noor, N. (2013), 'Social enterprise applications in an urban facilities management setting'. Facilities. Vol. 31 (5/6).
• Kaklauskas, A., Daniunas, A., Amaratunga, D., Urbonas, V., Lill, I. Gudauskas, R., D‘amato, M., Trinkunas, V. & Jackute, I. (2012), 'Life cycle process model of a market-oriented and student centered higher education', International Journal of Strategic Property Management, Vol. 16 (4). pp. 414-430.

Please click here for a full list of papers.