RDR Overview

The department inspires innovation and evidence-based practice focused on improving disaster risk reduction (DRR) through our research, education and partnerships.

The UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR) is an exciting cross-UCL department, which leads research, knowledge, education and humanitarian action.

By providing a focus for UCL activities, with its breadth of disciplinary emphasis, promotion of novel multidisciplinary research and translation into practice, the RDR aims to assume a role of leadership both in the UK and internationally. The department is in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MAPS), but we work across all UCL's faculties, spanning natural and social sciences, mathematics and statistics, engineering and development planning, global health, anthropology, the humanities, ethics and laws, and contributes to UCL's Grand Challenges.

RDR History

Status

The IRDR (Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction) was launched through the Provost鈥檚 Strategic Development Fund as an institute wihtin the Department of Earth Sciences in May 2010 with a mission to lead research, teaching and knowledge exchange in risk and disaster reduction across UCL.聽The IRDR became a level 60 informal academic department in January 2012 and later that year, made the first academic appointments.聽In 2017 it became an independent cost centre within the MAPS Faculty. On 1st September 2020, the IRDR became a full academic department. In 2024, The IRDR was renamed to become the "Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction" (RDR).

Students and education

PhD students have been admitted since 2011 and to its PhD Risk and Disaster Reduction programme since 2017. The MRes in Risk and Disaster Reduction launched in 2012, the MSc Risk, Disaster and Resilience in 2013 and the MSc Risk and Disaster Science in 2016. The BSc Global humanitarian studies was launched in 2021.聽

RDR Today

The RDR presently has 31 members of academic and teaching staff. The RDR also has 10 members of research staff ranging from research assistants to professorial research fellows, 9 members of professional services staff and a further 3 project staff.

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The RDR strives to produce world-leading research in disaster risk reduction through a multidisciplinary perspective for the long-term benefit of humanity.聽

The RDR conducts research in disaster risk reduction and resilience, around the themes: What causes risk and disaster? What are the consequences of risk and disasters? and Catalysing change. Our research foci are: Climate change and adaptation;聽Conflict and migration; Educating leaders; Health and social risks; Inclusion and politics; Natural hazards and risks; and Warning, resilience and finance. The RDR has received substantial research funding (拢10 million+) in areas such as gender responsive resilience, hazard and risk uncertainty modelling,聽digital health, climate and environment, urban resilience, warning, and migration crises.聽

Research Themes

What causes risk and disaster?

Investigating the science, socioeconomics, and politics behind hazards, vulnerabilities, risks, and disasters, through measurement and modelling using multidisciplinary approaches ranging from anthropological to digital technologies.聽聽聽

Primary data collection from the natural environment (earth, air and water)
Primary data collection from social, economic, cultural, and political environments聽
Construction characteristics and damage and loss metrics of housing and infrastructure.聽
Modelling drivers of risk and disasters.

What are the consequences of risk and disasters?

Understanding individual and multi-hazards, cascading effects, vulnerability and risk, their interactions and dynamics, and implications.聽聽

Use quantitative and qualitative data to assess loss, damage and wider impacts on people, sectors, communities, systems and the environment.聽
Investigate the implications for economic development in the long and short terms.聽
Analyse how risk and disaster are experienced differently based on a range of factors including socio-economic, demographic, governance, and historical, and pre-existing inequalities.

Catalysing change

Innovative interdisciplinary application of techniques to improve disaster risk reduction, resilience, and humanitarian response management.聽

Disaster risk management聽
Supporting planning and anticipatory action聽
Communicating risk聽
Collaborative thinking and ideas
Educating future leaders

Teaching

The RDR聽aims to develop leaders and experts in disaster risk reduction research, education, and practice.

We run PhD and MRes programmes in risk and disaster reduction, masters programmes in risk, disaster and resilience and risk and disaster science, and an undergraduate programme in global humanitarian studies, all with a diverse and cross-disciplinary international intake. We have about 35 PhD students, and an approximate annual intake of 80 masters students and 70 BSc students.

As the UK鈥檚 only dedicated centre with Departmental status addressing questions of disaster risk, the RDR coordinates across undergraduate and post graduate taught as well as postgraduate research training.

Knowledge Exchange, Public Policy and Research Impact

The RDR seeks to empower all to break down barriers to global DRR knowledge.

Knowledge exchange is a core part of the mission of the RDR, which it seeks to fulfil by publishing high-impact reports, engagement with the media and building long-term partnerships. RDR members have joined and led several field missions and have contributed to multidisciplinary reports. These reports have been drawn on extensively by the UK Cabinet Office and other government bodies in advice to ministers. RDR staff contributed substantially to the UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health. The RDR has close links with London First, the business representative grouping, private companies, London Resilience and UK Government, including the Cabinet Office, and is developing links with intergovernmental organizations such as the International Migration Organization, Plan International, UN Women and other humanitarian NGOs.

UCL RDR runs regular events to engage the public and potential partners in issues relating to risk and disaster reduction and humanitarian action, including its Annual Conference and Monthly Event Series.

Institutes and Centres

Within the Department, we have the Humanitarian Institute, Centre for Gender and Disaster, Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies and, jointly with the Department of Science and Technology Studies, the Warning Research Centre.聽 There are also several informal research groups. The Humanitarian Institute and different centres act as hubs for research in the relevant areas. Click on the links below for more details.

Location and place

The RDR is physically located in the South Wing of the central UCL building on the main campus with research rooms for research staff and students. It sits in the faculty of maths and physical sciences (MAPS) which falls under BEAMS (built environment, engineering and maths and physical sciences).

More information

Read our latest annual reports

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