Robin Cox is an educator, psychologist, consultant and active member of the Canadian disaster and emergency management community. She is the head of the Disaster and Emergency Management program at Royal Roads University. Her expertise includes the psychosocial dimensions of disasters, disaster resilience, and traumatic stress and coping. Her work focuses on supporting individual, workforce and community disaster resilience, participatory approaches to risk reduction, and the development and delivery of training in disaster psychosocial support interventions. Cox is an active researcher and is leading several national research projects focused on child-centered disaster recovery in Canada and the U.S., and disaster resilience assessment and planning at the community level. Email: robin.cox@royalroads.ca
David Johnston a senior scientist at GNS Science (New Zealand’s Geological Survey) and director of the Joint Centre for Disaster Research in the School of Psychology at Massey University, Wellington. The Centre is a joint venture between Massey University and GNS Science. His research has developed as part of multi-disciplinary theoretical and applied research programme, involving the collaboration of physical and social scientists from several organisations and countries. His research focuses on human responses to volcano, tsunami and weather warnings, crisis decision-making and the role of public education and participation in building community resilience and recovery. David is a member of the Scientific Committee for the Joint International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR); the Royal Society Social Science Advisory Panel; and on the Editorial Board of The Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies. Email: D.M.johnston@massey.ac.nz
Kevin Ronan is Foundation Professor in Psychology and chair in Clinical Psychology, School of Health and Human Services and the Institute for Health and Social Sciences Research at CQUniversity Australia. He is also chair of the Disaster Reference Group of the Australian Psychological Society. Dr. Ronan is a clinical psychologist who specialises in hazards and disasters, problems of youth and families (e.g., conduct disorder; anxiety disorders; child maltreatment; trauma), schizophrenia, homework in therapy, and treatment outcome evaluation. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies and the Journal of Applied Volcanology and he regularly provides reviews of manuscripts for a number of journals in the risk and disaster area, including Risk Analysis. He has authored and co-authored many disaster related journal articles and other publications, including many empirical articles focused on community preparedness for disasters. He is senior author of Promoting Community Resilience to Disasters: The Role for Schools, Youth, and Families (Springer, 2005). As the title of this book indicates, one major part of his research program has focused on the role of youth, families, schools, and other community networks in promoting community prevention and preparedness for disasters. At the National Summit for Youth Preparedness in Washington, DC in September 2010, hosted by FEMA and other U.S. agencies linked to disaster preparedness and response, as the opening speaker to that Summit, he was referred to as a “pioneer” in this area of research and practice. Click here to read his full bio. Email: K.ronan@cqu.edu.au
Dewald van Niekerk is associate professor in Disaster Studies and the founder and director of the African Centre for Disaster Studies at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus in South Africa. He is the author of A Framework for Multi-Sphere Disaster Risk Reduction: The Case of South Africa (LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2010) and co-author of 12 academic books and numerous articles and research reports. He has been project leader for local, national as well as international disaster risk reduction projects and has undertaken disaster risk reduction research and consultancy in countries such as Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, and India. He is the programme manager for the M.A. and Ph.D. degree in Development and Management (Disaster Studies), as well as the programme manager for the research program in Disaster Risk Studies of the Research Focus Area: Social Transformation. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the first journal for disaster studies on the African continent: Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. He holds a Doctorate in public management and administration with a specific focus on disaster risk reduction obtained at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. His research interests include community-based disaster risk management, disaster risk assessment, disaster risk governance, and building institutional capacities for disaster risk reduction. Email: Dewald.VanNiekerk@nwu.ac.za
Susann Ullberg is Senior Analyst at Crisis Management Research and Training at the Swedish National Defence College located in Stockholm, Sweden. Her work has focused on providing analytical support to different Swedish authorities such as the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and the Swedish National Audit Office regarding different matters of crisis preparedness. She has offered advisory support to research projects in Argentina, Canada, and Sweden, most recently in the establishment of the Centre for Natural Disaster Science, where she currently serves as a committee member. She serves as an elected board member of the Research Committee on Disasters (RC-39) of the International Sociological Association, and is also a member of the coordinating committee of the Disaster, Conflict, and Social Crisis Research Network of the European Sociological Association. She is a research affiliate at the Institute of Latin American Studies, the University of Buenos Aires, and the Centro de Antropología Social. Click here to read her full bio. Email: susann.ullberg@socant.su.se
Thomas (Tom) Wilson is a Lecturer in Hazard and Disaster Management in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. He leads an active Hazards and Disaster Management research group, which focuses on interdisciplinary, end-user focused research across geological sciences, engineering, social sciences, and the wider hazard management sector. Tom's own research focus is around the impacts of natural hazard on society, particularly critical infrastructure and primary industries. More recently, Tom has been actively involved in Canterbury earthquake recovery efforts, undertaking research to inform response and recovery in rural and urban communities. Tom is also a member of the New Zealand Volcano Advisory Group (responsible for advising Government during volcanic crises) and Volcanic Hazards Working Group for the International Atomic Energy Agency. Email: thomas.wilson@canterbury.ac.nz