#32 - GADRI2025 - Regional Alliances: UKADR (Dr. Susanne Sargeant)

Background:

The UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR) is a national network that brings together researchers, institutions, and stakeholders working on disaster risk, resilience, and reduction. It is an independent, voluntary alliance supported by contributions from academia, government agencies, civil society, think tanks, and research institutions that focus on disaster-related research in the UK. Its main aim is to foster collaboration among researchers and to represent the UK’s disaster research community at both national and international levels, with a particular emphasis on engaging with the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Membership of UKADR is open to staff and PhD candidates based at UK institutions who are active in disaster-related research, including preparedness, response, and recovery. The alliance serves as a national coordination point for disaster research and works closely with international partners such as the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, and the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes.

UKADR’s activities include hosting regular conferences, which provide a platform for sharing research, networking, and fostering interdisciplinary approaches to disaster risk. Recent events have covered topics such as multi-hazard risk, resilience, climate change impacts, and the use of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and serious games. In 2024, the conference was hosted by University College London, and the 2025 event will take place at Durham University in September.

By coordinating research efforts, facilitating knowledge exchange, and promoting evidence-based approaches, UKADR plays an important role in strengthening disaster risk reduction in the UK. It helps align national research priorities with global frameworks and ensures that research has a direct impact on policy and practice, both domestically and internationally.

Guest: Dr. Susanne Sargeant [British Geological Survey, United Kingdom]

Co-Hosts:

• Dr. Mark Ashley Parry [Northumbria University, United Kingdom]
• Dr. Haris Rahadianto [Lund University, Sweden]

Music: “Sunset” by Kai Engel, available at ⁠Free Music Archive⁠, licensed under CC BY 4.0.