The Disaster Resilience Research Network is forming multidisciplinary working groups to conduct research and outreach activities related to disasters in BC.
Ongoing working groups and projects
BC Disaster & Resilience Literature Review (2023-24)
Resilience Hubs for UBC Campus Communities (2024-26)
DRRN Research Seminars (2022-23)
Activity co-leads: Carlos Molina Hutt & Sara Shneiderman
Course mapping / building an interdisciplinary graduate curriculum
Activity co-leads: Stephanie Chang & Trevor Carey
View the 2025-26 course list here
Pre-disaster coordination / Rapid Response Network (on hold)
Activity co-leads: Jocelyn Stacey & Amy Kim
Analysis and assessment of the 2021 events (wildfires, heat wave, flooding, landslides, etc.) in BC (on hold)
Activity co-leads: David Edgington & Dwayne Tannant
Future working groups
White paper on re-framing hazard and risk / outlining our network's intended contribution
Developing community partnerships & co-producing hazard science & policy recommendations
Developing a framework for transdisciplinary disaster research ethics
Check back for updates as our activities progress.
Research Themes
In establishing the Research Excellence Cluster that formed the basis for the Disaster Resilience Research Network, the founding group of researchers identified three major thematic areas that reflect their research interests. While network members identify with these broad fields of research, they are also committed to working together across disciplines and beyond the boundaries of these themes.
Hazard & Risk Quantification
Selected research topics include: Forest dynamics and resilience; earthquakes in the Cascadia Subduction Zone; geohazard identification and analysis; multi-hazard design procedures; seismic risk in buildings and infrastructure; probabilistic modeling of hazards; water resources management and flood forecasting...
Capacity & Expression
Selected research topics include: Sociocultural dynamics of disaster aftermath and preparedness; urban disaster risk and resilience; disaster research in the Pacific Rim; public health/health systems resilience; cultural and artistic expression of disaster experience...
Governance
Selected research topics include: risk perception, communication, and management; climate - science change, action; indigenous community planning, Indigenous knowledges and climate change, decolonization and reconciliation efforts; disaster law, climate change, emergency powers and the rule of law...