Conferences
Coming soon: UKADR Annual Conference 2025, Durham University 4-5 September 2025.
Previous conferences
2030 and beyond: Risk-informed decision making, investment and behaviour.
UKADR conference 2023 was a unique opportunity to gather and advance disaster research. It highlighted the pressing need to address global challenges and manage disaster risks effectively. The conference was inspired by the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework.
The UKADR Conference 2022 was a great success. Many thanks to everyone who took part. A summary of the meeting and other outputs will be made available in due course.
Disaster research and innovation at a time of global uncertainty
The 2022 UKADR conference was held at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) on 7 and 8 December 2022.
It was co-organised by the University of Edinburgh, the British Geological Survey and Heriot-Watt University. The theme of this year's conference was 'Disaster research and innovation at a time of global uncertainty'. We hope this focus will encourage an inclusive discussion on major global challenges (e.g. the climate crisis, conflict and emerging from the pandemic) and the role of disaster research and innovation in a time of uncertainty.
The UKADR AGM took place on 7 December 2022.
Documents
The UKADR hosted a series of webinars (including the AGM) over 10 and 11 September 2020. This was an opportunity for our community of disaster researchers and practitioners to come together to share information and experiences, and learn from each other. We explored our current research practice, lessons on impact from Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) projects, and the role that the UK-based disaster research community can play in a green and resilient recovery from the pandemic.
Agenda and links to recordings
10 September 2020
Webinar 1: Co-producing impact: lessons learnt from small and large projects
University of Northumbria
In 2019 the UKADR Conference combined with the Dealing with Disasters (DwD) Series, the UK Disasters Research Group (DRG) and the UK Collaborative for Development Research (UKCDR) in association with the resilience portfolio of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
Theme: new points of departure in transitioning disaster reduction and sustainability challenges
Coming soon after the United Nations Global Platform for DRR in May 2019 and ahead of the Climate Summit in September 2019, this event was to enlighten progressive, research-driven actions.
The underlying area of inquiry addressed new points of departure for science and technology, political will and behaviour change initiatives, including the evidence base for action on systemic changes to the way people live with and take on disaster threats, and sustainability challenges.
We welcomed wide-ranging inputs that variously contribute to advancing sciences, arts, policy or practice inside or outside academia in engaging challenges of disaster risk reduction and sustainability. Contributions variously bridged research findings, reflection and conjecture on what has and still can be done.
- Call for abstracts and conference registration is now open for all delegates.
- Accommodation guide for the UKADR conference
- 2019 conference programme
Panel and session themes were allocated 90 minutes. Session and panel themes included:
- influencing future investment and research funding
- building the funder — researcher dynamic in the context of Global Challenges
- horizon scanning and living with uncertainty
- case studies of engagement and impact of DRR for sustainable development
- framing global risk assessment
- action data
- health and wellbeing at the heart of DRR and sustainable development
- health emergency and disaster risk management
- risk communication
- the youth voice for DRR
- modelling simulated risks and effects
- measuring community resilience
- confronting vulnerability and marginalisation
- disaster-proofing future living
- integrated emergency management
- climate change and disasters
- disasters and global justice
- sociology of disasters and development
- culture and disasters
- urban planning and resilience
- conflict and disaster risk reduction
- hazard mitigation
- early warning, early action and precautionary approaches
- recovery and rehabilitation
- other areas (please specify)
Complex hazards / complex vulnerabilities, University of Bristol, 27–28 March, 2018
In recent years there has been a growth of recognition that disasters arise from, and are impacted by, complex interlinked hazards interfacing with complex vulnerabilities. Rapid urbanization, climatic change, intensification and growing reliance on technology, and regional and global economic chains, are all making disaster risk reduction more complicated and more important. Understanding these complexities demands the integration of arts, social sciences, engineering, and the physical science knowledge. It also requires the sharing of expertise between practitioners, academics and policy makers. The 2018 UKADR Conference explored the intersections of complexities related to disaster studies.
The UKADR conference provides a forum for UK researchers to network across disciplinary fields and to interact with research funders, national and local government and charitable organisations operating in the UK and internationally. International researchers are welcome to attend.
Panels were allocated approximately 90 minutes.
Panel themes include:
- Built environment
- Climate change and disasters
- Disaster funding, laws and policies
- Disaster ICT and emergency communications
- Disaster management
- Disaster relief, resilience and research
- Disaster response and management
- Natural hazards
- Technology and DRR
- Police, fire, military personnel in disasters
- Public health preparedness
- Sociology of disasters
- Urban planning and urban renewal
King's College London, 9th and 10th January 2017
With support from IHRR, Durham University and the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol
The UKADR is open to all UK based researchers working on disaster science. Founded in 2016 to champion the voice of UK science in government policy making, UKADR aims to support UK government contributions to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-30 and facilitate networking between all science traditions.
Help build the UK disaster science community
Annual Conference theme
Integrated Research that Makes a Difference
Conference Aim: to be an open meeting place for researchers, research funders, government and other policy makers, practitioners in the UK and overseas. This is an opportunity to showcase UK disaster science to the funder and user communities, to influence thinking on UK policy and research funding.
Conference sessions
Global landscape for DRR policy — and UK research contributions
Chair: Andrew Collins, Northumbria University
Risk, responsibility and fairness in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation
Chairs: Arabella Fraser, Overseas Development Institute, and Keith Hyams, Warwick University
Science epistemology and productive policy
Chair: Amy Donovan, King's College London
Health protection, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: exploring the state of the art in disaster health research
Chairs: Sari Kovats, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Richard Amlot, Public Health England