Disaster Resilience and Management

DBEnv PhD MPhil MSc by research

School - School of the Built Environment

Subject area - Disaster Management

Start Date(s): September, January, May

Duration:

MSc by Research
One year full-time
Two years part-time

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
One year full-time
Two years part-time

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Three years full-time
Three years online/distance learning full-time
Five years split-site
Five years part-time

Professional Doctorate in the Built Environment (DBEnv)
Five years part-time

In Brief:

Part-time study option
Distance Learning
International students can apply

Subject Overview

Disaster management and resilience research has been conducted at Salford for over 20 years and related research is funded by research councils, national and international government bodies, and industry. Disaster management and resilience research is based at the University’s Centre for Disaster Resilience (CDR) www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk which promotes research and scholarly activity that examines the role of the built environment industry to anticipate and respond to disasters that damage or destroy communities and their built, natural and human environment. This centre is world leading, and the only centre in the UK that promotes the multidisciplinary nature of the field and that undertakes cooperative research with a large number of international partners. Our research has: contributed to the development of resources to enhance professional practice in the humanitarian sector across the world; shaped and influenced policy made by governments and other official bodies; and have been used to develop resources to enhance professional practice in the humanitarian sector.

Researchers are working with communities to increase their resilience to the threat posed by natural and human hazards. Its researchers undertake real world, rigorous research; advises government and other decision makers; provides education and training opportunities; delivers relevant research outputs and positive outcomes; and draws upon and shares expertise internationally. CDR’s capacity development, education and awareness raising activities are underpinned by this world-class, inter-disciplinary research.

Researchers and practitioners worldwide are supported in achieving higher qualifications and CDR offers doctoral study on a full or part-time basis for professionals wishing to achieve academic recognition of their specialism and further the development of theory and practice in their field. A full range of styles of research can be undertaken, from fundamental theory building to highly applied. Examples of areas that you can undertake research include:

capacity building for disaster mitigation and reconstruction;
project management for post disaster reconstruction;
disaster risk reduction ;
risk management and sustainability;
post-conflict reconstruction;
stakeholder management and corporate social responsibility;
community engagement and participation in reconstruction;
social impact of reconstruction;
protection and empowerment of women and other vulnerable groups;
role of women in mitigating and managing disasters;
livelihood development;
micro finance and community co-operatives;
knowledge management and integration;
impact of culture towards disaster risk reduction;
post disaster waste management;
disaster management and theory building;
extreme weather events and coping strategies;
business continuity analysis and planning; and
resilience and adaptive capacities of SMEs.

More on these PhD research topics can be found via the Research Centre’s homepage: www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk CDR is one of the key partners of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and our research has informed and shaped UNISDR’s campaign to encourage people to prepare for potential disasters.

Use of field specific partnerships with world-leading institutions to develop and extend our research quality, recognising that these should be based on mutual benefit is one of our key agendas. Accordingly, our researchers target partnerships with key international institutions to address underutilised opportunities, ensuring coordination with a wider internationalisation strategy; use European partnerships more effectively to increase presence and influence in EU programmes; use strategic business partnerships to drive high quality high impact research; and work with key international research focused institutions where regional interests or issues of proximity drive the agenda. This collaborative research also raises the recognition and reputation of our centre as a key international player in the field. By working closely with these international partners, our researchers have obtained funding for international research from a wide variety of sources, including the European Union, UK and other national research councils, and enterprises.

One of our international research collaborations was shortlisted for the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2011 - International Collaboration of the Year 2011.

Entry Requirements

First class or upper second class undergraduate degree.

Masters degree is preferred but not essential. However, applicants without a Masters degree should provide evidence of previous research methods training.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.
The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

English requirement for non-UK/ EU students

Overall IELTS score of at least 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any one element.

We offer four entry points – October, January, April and July. Applications can be submitted at any point within the year.

Applicant Profile

You should have a first degree that provides a foundation in the principles of disaster resilience, mitigation and reconstruction and this can be from various backgrounds.

The programme aims to develop the skills and knowledge of the built environment professions and other professions working in disaster mitigation and reconstruction, so that they may reflect on and strengthen their capacity in strategic and practical aspects of disaster preparedness, rehabilitation and reconstruction to mitigate the effects of disasters nationally and internationally.

We promote innovative inter-disciplinary working and co-operation among scientific communities tackling the challenges associated with natural and human induced hazards. The complex nature of disasters, their origins, causes and consequences, has led to widespread recognition that risk reduction through increased resilience. This will hence require a multi-sectoral approach that explores what resilience is, what it means to society, and how societies might achieve greater resilience in the face of increasing threats from natural and human induced hazards. Accordingly, we will accept students with multi disciplinary backgrounds including built environment, sociology, engineering, financial management, and business continuity. Evidence of ability to study and critically appraise literature independently is essential and candidates with Masters qualification are preferred. Experience of research involving human participants is also preferable but is not essential.

Our postgraduate research degree programmes are for researchers and academics, policy makers and other professionals working with disaster prevention, mitigation, response and reconstruction responsibilities who wish to improve their working knowledge of both theory and practice in making cities resilient to disasters. These professionals may be working with or for local and national government agencies, relief agencies, private sector companies, public sector agencies, UN organisations, national and international aid agencies, civil and military services, academia and insurance appraisers and investigators.

As a student embarking on a postgraduate research degree you will be assigned a supervisory team, to help guide and mentor you throughout your time at the University. However, you are ultimately expected to take responsibility for managing your learning and will be expected to initiate discussions, ask for the help that you need and be proactive in your approach to study.

International Students - Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

International Students are required by the Home Office and/or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate before they begin studying their course. You may need to obtain an ATAS Certificate before you come to the UK in order for you to comply with Home Office regulations. Please refer to your offer conditions.

You can find out if your programme requires an ATAS by checking the FCO website at https://www.gov.uk/academic-technology-approval-scheme with your JACS code which will be on your offer letter should you choose to make an application. If you cannot find it please contact International Conversion team at application@salford.ac.uk. If you have any queries relating directly to ATAS please contact the ATAS team on Salford-ATAS@salford.ac.uk.

You can apply for your ATAS Certificate via this link: https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/

Current Student Research

Research Topics

Stuart Katwikirize – 1st year researcher
Project: Examining the State of Community Capacity Building For Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern Africa

Synopsis: Eastern Africa which includes the Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda is a region exposed to various disaster risks ranging from cyclic droughts and famines, floods, landslides, and epidemics to conflict induced people displacements. The region also benefits from enormous donor and local government development funding where unfortunately, development gains are repeatedly reversed or wiped out by aforementioned cyclic disaster shocks.Given the above humanitarian landscape and level of donor investment in the region, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) ought to be a priority consideration supported and mainstreamed by all major relief and development practitioners in the region. Consequently, one would suppose that support to community capacity building for DRR is already a top priority among major relevant stakeholders in Eastern Africa. However, evidence from related case studies in South Africa, Colombia and Indonesia suggests that poor local capacity for DRR remains a major impediment to making required progress. To date, there is very little known and written about the level of prioritisation and subsequent support given to community capacity building for DRR in Eastern Africa and this research sets out to close this evidence gap.

Tri Yumarni – 2nd year researcher
Project: Gender mainstreaming in sustainable post disaster reconstruction

Synopsis: Gender inequalities are barriers to achieve sustainable post disaster reconstruction. Mainstreaming gender equality within post disaster reconstruction process can enhance sustainability of reconstruction. This research identifies pre-requisite conditions for mainstreaming gender within sustainable post disaster reconstruction as; awareness of gender needs and concerns, a strong gender policy framework, women participation and leadership as an agent of change, gendered institutional capability, flexible and decentralised structure of gendered policy planning.

Chamindi Malalgoda – 3rd year researcher
Project: Empowering Local Governments in making Cities Resilient to Disasters

Synopsis: Cities are complex systems of human creations, consisting of interdependent physical systems and human communities, which are vulnerable to disasters in varying degrees. Urban areas are growing very rapidly all over the world particularly in developing countries. As a result of rapid urbanisation, the world’s population is increasingly concentrated in large cities leading to unplanned urban development with inappropriate and lower quality housing, infrastructure and services. This excessive unplanned urban growth leads to various physical, social and economic vulnerabilities. As a result, the consequences of disasters are very undesirable especially when they occur in urban environments. Furthermore, any disruption may result in domino-effects due to inter dependent nature of the cities. Thus, it is important to strengthen the cities by concentrating on city’s resilience to disasters in order to mitigate their vulnerabilities.The local government, being the first responder and the one responsible for local area development, has a key role to play in achieving a city’s resilience to disasters. Several incidents have been reported on the inadequate contribution of local governments in taking the lead role of disaster risk reduction initiatives. This could mainly be attributed to inadequate financial, manpower and other resources available with local governments, and their failure to make timely decisions due to lack of authority.In this context, this research highlights the growing need for concentrating on urban areas and the ways and means of making urban cities resilient to disasters. The literature review technique will be used to address potential issues and the findings will be justified through literature gathered from research papers in electronic databases, along with conference proceedings and reports published by various institutions.

Training and Skills

All postgraduate research students are expected to attend the research methods seminars covering subjects including conducting a literature review, methods of data collection, research governance and ethics, and analysis, presentation, interpretation and rigour in qualitative research.

In addition, the University offers all postgraduate research students an extensive range of free training activities to help develop their research and transferable skills. The Salford Postgraduate Research Training Programme (SPoRT) has been designed to equip researchers both for their university studies, and for their future careers whether in academia, elsewhere in the public sector, or in industry and the private sector.

Assessment Links

As a postgraduate research student at the University of Salford, you are required to meet a number of milestones in order to re-register for each year of study. These 'progression points' are an important aid for both you and your supervisory team and it is essential that you complete them on time.

Learning Agreement: this is completed by you and your supervisor collaboratively in the first 3 months of your research programme. It encourages both of you to develop a thorough and consistent understanding of your individual and shared roles and responsibilities in your research partnership.

Annual Progress Report: this report is completed by your supervisor at the end of each year of study, and reports on your achievements in the past year, the likelihood that you will submit on time, confirmation of the Learning Agreement and relevant training undertaken.

Self Evaluation Report: this is completed by you at the end of each year of study. It asks you to comment on your academic progress, supervisory arrangements, research environment, research training, and relevant training undertaken.

Interim Assessment: this is an assessment of your progress by a panel. It takes place towards the end of your first year, and is designed to ensure you have reached a threshold of academic performance, by assessing your general progress. The assessment comprises a written report, presentation and oral examination by a Panel. You must successfully complete it in order to register for your second year.

Internal Evaluation: this will take place towards the end of the second year and successful completion is required in order to continue onto your third year of study. You will be expected to show strong progress in your PhD study reflected in the submission of a substantial piece of work, generally at least 4 chapters of your thesis.

Research Profile

Research Excellence

The University of Salford’s built environment research incorporating disaster resilience and management was ranked 6*, the highest grade in the UK’s competitive Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001 and 1996, the only built environment research institute in the UK to achieve this. In the 2008 RAE Salford's research in the fields of architecture and the built environment was rated as the best in the UK and finished top in Research Fortnight's 'Research Power' table for built environment. Its built environment research institute has over 110 research-active academic staff, and considerable experience of large research projects – between 1996 and 2009, it completed over £60M of funded research including major EU research projects and networks. USAL has one of three UK government funded research centres in the built environment and attracted contributions from more than 400 industrial partners worldwide. Salford hold several key positions of the CIB (International Council for Research and Innovation in Building & Construction), a worldwide network of over 5000 experts from about 500 member organisations active in the research community, in industry or in education, who cooperate and exchange information in over 50 CIB Commissions. USAL is one of the partners of the CEBE (Centre for Education in the Built Environment) in the UK, which is one of 24 Subject Centres which comprise the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN), funded by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The Centre for Disaster Resilience currently has more than 40 postgraduate research students and it is an international community. As well as the UK we have students from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Denmark, South Africa, China, Malaysia and France. We also have visiting students with us throughout the year (often for short study placements of 2-6 months). Our number of international partnerships exceeds 100.

The Centre for Disaster Resilience (CDR) research is leading to a reduction in the vulnerability of communities world-wide to the threat posed by hazards of natural and human origin. CDR’s research has resulted in better-informed and more socially inclusive public policy-making towards development of a disaster resilient built environment. The research has shaped a global United Nations campaign, contributed exponentially to the development of resources to enhance professional practice in the sector, including post-disaster reconstruction programmes, and led the development of new partnerships in Europe & Asia.

The Founding Editors-in-Chief of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE) are key members of CDR. The journal promotes 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. This is 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. The journal is published by Emerald Publishing and indexed in SOPUS, the British Library, Construction and Building Abstracts, ICONDA - The International Construction Database, Business Source Premier (EBSCO), ABI INFORM Global (ProQuest), Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (ProQuest) and INSPEC.

Our research has been nominated for the UN Sasakawa Award 2013, under the 2013 theme "Acting As One". The UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction recognises excellence in reducing disaster risk for a safer, more sustainable world.

Staff Profiles

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga

Dilanthi Amaratunga is Professor of Disaster Management at the School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, UK where she leads the University's Centre for Disaster Resilience, responsible for supporting research on disaster management portfolios. She is also the Associate Head of School for International at the School of the Built Environment. Her 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. An interdisciplinary background in Quantity Surveying, Facilities and Business Continuity Management, Education and Training, Gender and Disasters, and Disaster Mitigation and Reconstruction provides her the opportunities to work across a broader disaster management research agenda including developing partnerships with international research teams, government, NGOs and communities. She is the Co-Editor of the 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. She is also an Advisory Panel member of the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient Campaign. Her profile is available at www.dilanthiamaratunga.net.

Professor Richard Haigh

Richard Haigh is a Professor at the Centre for Disaster Resilience, Joint Editor of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, and Co-Chair of the International Conference on Building Resilience series. His research interests include the conceptual understanding of resilience, the reintegration and rehabilitation of conflict-affected communities in Sri Lanka, and engagement of the private sector in the development of societal resilience. Richard is Principal Investigator of ANDROID (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise Educational Development), a partnership of 67 institutions across 31 countries committed to promote co-operation and innovation to increase society’s resilience to disasters of human and natural origin. Richard was also Principal Investigator of Conflict Prevention through Infrastructure Reconstruction, a 12 month intervention to enhance the capacity of local stakeholders to deliver conflict sensitive infrastructure reconstruction programmes within the North and East of Sri Lanka, and thereby help prevent future conflict in the region. The project was funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the British High Commission in Colombo. Richard has published over 25 peer reviewed journal articles, 1 edited book, 7 book chapters, and 13 reports for a variety of stakeholders. A full list of Richard’s publications, projects, and national and international activities can be found at www.richardhaigh.info.

Dr. Bingu Ingirige

Dr. Bingu Ingirige is a Senior Lecturer at the school of the Built Environment. His main research interests are in the area of flood adaptation and community resilience against extreme weather. He has been the co-investigator of the EPSRC funded Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) project, where he led a work package on SME adaptation and coping measures against extreme weather events. As part of the CREW project, his research team under his leadership conducted surveys, interviews and case studies with small businesses in London on measures of property level protection and business continuity. He was also the principal investigator for the RICS Education trust funded project where he focused on the small market township of Cockermouth in Cumbria in their recovery after the 2009 catastrophic flood event. He has published well over 50 conference, journal and other industry reports in the areas of SME capacity building, knowledge transfer, post disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation, community development, disaster management, resilience and adaptive capacities of SMEs. He currently supervises PhD students in the above areas of research and he serves in the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE).

Dr Kaushal Keraminiyage

Dr Kaushal Keraminiyage is a Lecturer at the University of Salford, UK teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. He is also the programme director for the BSc (hons) Quantity Surveying programme. His research interests are collaborative environments for construction education and research, building capacities of construction Higher Education Institutions through ICT enabled collaborations, ICT for the Built Environment in disaster management contexts, energy conscious construction through process/ ICT co-maturation and Virtual Learning and Research Environments for the Built Environment. Kaushal’s publication profile includes edited books, book chapters, journals papers, various reports and international conference papers and presentations. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment and he has facilitated a number of international research workshops and served as an organising committee member in a number of international conferences.

Dr Udayangani Kulatunga

Dr Udayangani Kulatunga has over 10 years experience in teaching and research in the UK and Sri Lanka. She completed her PhD in 2008 at the University of Salford and is currently attached to the same university as a Senior Lecturer. Udayangani is also the programme leader for the affiliated BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying degree programme delivered in Sri Lanka. Her research portfolio has two distinct research domains: performance measurement, where her PhD was based, and disaster management, where her post doctoral studies are based. Udayangani is an active member of the Centre for Disaster Resilience at the University of Salford where she leads the community based disaster management research theme. Her research output is demonstrated by the number of publications she has in journals and her presence at international conferences. Udayangani’s international presence is demonstrated by her role as a guest editor in journal special issues, membership of scientific committees and experiences as a conference chair.

Dr Chaminda Pathirage

Dr Chaminda Pathirage is a Senior Lecturer at the School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, UK. He is also the Programme Director for MSc Project Management in Construction degree programme since 2009. Having worked in several RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) funded research projects on good practices in disaster context, Chaminda has developed his specific research interest on exploring the role of knowledge management in the disaster management cycle. He leads the research theme ‘Knowledge Management for Disaster Resilience’ at the Centre for Disaster Resilience, at University of Salford. Currently Chaminda is leading a strategic partnership between the Institute of Disaster Management & Vulnerability Studies at University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Centre for Disaster Resilience on research collaborations. He is also an Editorial Advisory Board member of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment and an Editorial Review Board Member of International Journal of Knowledge-Based Organisations. With over 11 years of research and teaching experience, Chaminda has published several book chapters, research reports, journal papers and international conference papers and has facilitated a number of research workshops in International conferences.

Employability

Career Prospects

This programme addresses capacity gaps and shortcomings in current disaster management practices that were exposed by recent disasters. The programme addresses the two phase cycle of disaster management, with post-disaster reconstruction informing pre-disaster risk reduction, and vice versa.

The programme provides an opportunity for students to study contemporary issues surrounding disaster management theory and practice, combined with the wider study of built environment applications across the disaster management lifecycle, thus providing a unique and intellectually challenging course of study. Students will be equipped with the skills needed to practice disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and long-term reconstruction of disaster affected built environments.

There is consistently an emphasis on the critical need to shift the focus of disaster management from advocacy to practical actions, and to support efforts that build capacities for implementing disaster management principles. As a result, qualified disaster professionals are in high demand. Our doctoral researchers are much sought after by a range of organisations including governments, NGOs and private sector organisations.
The programme’s goal is to enhance graduate employability by giving students the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate and apply key elements of disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, including the ability to conduct assessments of hazards, risks, vulnerability and capacity. Also, through providing students with an understanding of approaches that may be used internationally to reduce and manage risk, the programme aims to prepare students for employment in a wide range of careers focused on disaster intervention. Accordingly, we will help you to upskill your knowledge and practical skills to ensure an interesting and rewarding career in the specialist area of disasters and its management. Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

aid organisations
environmental organisations
academia
UN agencies
civil sector roles
insurance appraisers and investigators local and national government agencies
relief agencies
private sector companies
public sector agencies,
national and international aid agencies
civil and military services

Globally, a postgraduate research qualification is usually a prerequisite for an academic career and several of our alumni are now senior academics. We encourage the maintenance of links between graduating research students and their host research group and supervisor. This means the University can become part of the developing professional network that students take forward into their future careers.

Alumni Profile

Taufika Ophiyandri

PhD: Project risk management for community-based post-disaster housing reconstruction, 2013Current position: Lecturer at Civil Engineering Department, Andalas University, Indonesia

After completing my PhD at the Centre for Disaster Resilience, University of Salford in 2013, I returned to Andalas University, Indonesia. This area is highly prone to disaster. As a result, implementation of disaster management, from the mitigation stage to the recovery stage, is immensely important. With knowledge and research skills I gained through my PhD journey, I am very confident that I can significantly contribute to improve the disaster management practices in Indonesia.

The Centre for Disaster Resilience is really a fantastic place to study. During my study, I felt that the research environment and all the facilities provided were really great. The staff members were the experts in their field. They supervise their students to move in the right direction and always encourage producing research publications. What more can I say? This centre is really the right place to study disaster management.

Gayan Wedawatta

PhD: Resilience of Construction SMEs to Extreme Weather Events, 2013Current Position: Lecturer, Aston University, UK

I conducted PhD research on the resilience of construction SMEs to extreme weather events at the Centre for Disaster Resilience. During my time at the University of Salford I got the opportunity to work on a number of externally funded research projects including EPSRC funded “Community Resilience to Extreme Weather -CREW”, RICS Education Trust funded “Developing Flood Expert Knowledge in Chartered Surveyors – DEFENCES” and British Council funded “CEREBELLA”.

Skills and qualifications gained at the Centre for Disaster Resilience helped me to obtain a teaching position at Coventry University before the completion of my PhD research. Following the completion of my PhD research in 2013, I moved to Aston University as a lecturer in construction management where I am currently employed.

Siti Uzairiah Mohd Tobi

PhD: Social Enterprise Applications in an Urban Facilities Management SettingCurrent position: UTM RAZAK School of Engineering & Advanced Technology, UTM International Campus, Malaysia

Focus of the research is to have an approach to develop a new service delivery model that meets the needs of social enterprise principles in an urban FM setting for managing community facilities operations. The applicability of the proposed model in this research shall be adapted to a Malaysia perspective.

Roshani Palliyaguru

PhD: Influence of integrating disaster risk reduction within post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction on socio-economic developmentCurrent position: Lecturer, Heriot-Watt University, UK.

After completing my BSc in Quantity Surveying at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka I decided to pursue a PhD in the field of construction management Centre for Disaster Resilience in the University of Salford, UK in 2006. My specific interest was to pursue my studies in the area of ‘Infrastructure development and environmental concerns in disaster management’. My doctoral project was concerned with investigating the influence of integrating disaster risk reduction strategies within infrastructure reconstruction projects in achieving the socio-economic development needs of disaster affected communities.

My research involved working closely with the Sri Lankan post-tsunami (2004) reconstruction sector and the experts in the disaster resilience field in the UK. It allowed me to broaden my experience and knowledge of the deficiencies in the post-disaster reconstruction practices and develop skills in formulating strategies to streamline the ineffective processes regarding the integration of disaster risk reduction into reconstitution. After completing my PhD in 2010, I started at Heriot-Watt University as a Lecturer in Quantity Surveying.

Apart from lecturing I am continuing with my research in the field of disaster resilience in the built environment. The experiences which I gained during my stay in the Centre for Disaster Resilience in the University of Salford have strongly influenced the activities I develop in my new role as an active researcher in the field.

Links with Industry

Links with key industry stakeholders are a key in facilitating the use of our research findings to inform and influence policy, strategy and operations. There needs to be key industry stakeholder buy in where research findings are translated into programmable actions, appreciating the value of the findings and to embark on discussions on how to incorporate these perspectives in their work. In this context, our researchers have developed strong links with key industry stakeholders with the support from major UK, European and global agencies, which fund its research and development activities, as well as major sponsors from industry, local government and the not-for-profit sector including the European Union, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Council, the British Council, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Our researchers are leading the ANDROID (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise Educational Development) http://www.salford.ac.uk/built-environment/research/research-centres/disaster-resilience/key-research-projects/android network of 64 universities across Europe, plus higher education institutions from Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka. The network promotes cooperation and innovations among European higher education institutions to increase society’s resilience to disasters. Its research and engagement has a significant influence on policymaking and practice and includes joint work to describe, analyse and compare the capacity of European cities and higher education institutions to address disaster risk. The network provides data, advice and guidance for policymakers and practitioners on the role of building and construction to anticipate and respond to unexpected major events which damage the environment.

A consortium of researchers drawn from 14 universities developed a set of tools for improving the capacity for resilience of local communities to the impacts of future extreme weather events. Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW).

The Centre for Disaster Resilience (CDR) has been working with a large number of stakeholders to achieve resilient, sustainable urban communities by working with local governments to reduce the risks associated with disasters. The Centre for Disaster Resilience’s involvement in the UN campaign brings direct influence to global efforts to help cities and governments get ready and become resilient to disasters.
Further, training is considered as a natural collaboration possibility for academia and industry and has been instrumental in developing and delivering key Continuous Professional Development (CPD) modules in Disaster mitigation and reconstruction, participatory reconstruction, post disaster reconstruction project management etc.

Facilities

The 6* excellence attributed to CDR for over more than ten years by the UK’s competitive research assessment exercise represents its excellence in training, developing, nurturing and encouraging newer researchers into research careers. Students will benefit from such training activities. Specific areas to note include:

becoming integrated members of the dynamic 6* rated research institute with extensive international research collaboration. CDR provides a multi disciplinary research environment to students and support is given to them to determine how their specific research projects fits with the larger picture of built environment research.

support available for presentation and publication of research results, and students will benefit from the strong publication record that exists. Students will also benefit from being part of a larger group of PhD researchers, all with high standard office and laboratory facilities, and quality support in their research.

There is a network of visiting professors, and all the researchers have access to such visiting academics across the globe.

Students will be allocated a personal supervisor to ensure they receive well-structured supervision and training.

Several international networks are coordinated within CDR. For example, ANDROID (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise Educational Development) aims to promote co-operation and innovation among European Higher education institutions (HE) to increase society’s resilience to disasters of human and natural origin. The network’s teaching and research is concerned with what resilience is, what it means to society, and how societies might achieve greater resilience in the face of increasing threats from natural and human induced hazards.

It is widely acknowledged that the disaster management sector benefits directly from an improved coordination in the research that these networks try to achieve. It needs to focus on a culture of continuous improvement based upon information sharing, and consistently and continuously improving performance making it highly valued by stakeholders. As such, these networks document and disseminate the recent developments to the industry and academia. This helps create a critical mass of individuals with comprehensive knowledge of this area that will influence its adoption and use by the industry. Students will have access to these networks and also be able to actively take part in related activities, particularly to exchange ideas and to disseminate research findings.

CDR organises inter-disciplinary conferences and seminars that promote innovation and knowledge exchange on disaster resilience between Higher Education and relevant stakeholders.