How did you get to where you are today and what are your responsibilities?
My career has been varied and diverted. Academically I studied BSc Geology and an MSc in Mining at Imperial College London. Following this I worked in London City’s financial sector at Goldman Sachs and then at a stockbroker working with junior mining companies. Following the Boxing Day tsunami across Indonesia and the Indian Ocean in 2004 I was astonished at how science was not being put into practice via warnings to help save lives. Inspired by a desire to improve warnings for hazards I completed PhD at the UCL Hazard Research Centre on volcano warning systems. Following this I had a lectureship position at at Aberystwyth University, before returning to UCL as in the Department of Science and Technology Studies. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic I have once again have been astonished at the lack of interest in using warnings to prepare against threats and societies and therefore along with my deputy director Prof Ilan Kelman, we founded the UCL Warning Research Centre. This is the first and only warning centre in the world dedicated to brings together expertise from across a range of disciplines, geographies, and social and livelihood contexts to help establish more effective warnings which are more connected to and used by people for a range of natural, human, and technological hazards. As Director of the UCL WRC my responsibilities now include managing and running the WRC, building new relationships and collaborations, as well as running training courses, writing articles and reports, working on grants, and consulting work. This is on top of the usual duties of teaching, research, and administrative roles within my department and university.
What are your views on gender inequality when it comes to the impacts from disasters or conflict situations?
Gender inequality during disasters remains significant. Gender still remains excluded from much policy on disaster risk reduction, and the issues of gender need to be addressed from a bottom up approach, or in warnings via the first mile. In practice, women’s voices, needs, and considerations are frequently not included in the development and operation of a warnings system. In many countries women remain the key childcarer, elderly parent carer, and homemaker and this makes them most vulnerable due to their duties and care, and inability to be mobile. Significant work is needed to fight gender inequalities in society to facilitate further dialogue, integration, and consideration in developing more inclusive, and ultimately more effective warnings that not only save lives, but also help build resilience and mitigate against the impact of hazards and threats that after quality of life. As such tackling gendered risk demands both a reconceptualisation of the concept of ‘disaster', and for disasters to be further integrated within development, as supported by the UN Sustainability Goals.
What policies and interventions are needed to address gender inequalities across disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts?
Policies and interventions that are developed, implemented, and actioned by a diversity of genders and other groupings is vital for any warning system to be effective. Without the input of the ultimate ‘customer’ of the warning system it cannot be designed or used to accommodate the needs of all. Gender inequalities are researched by UCL WRC member Maureen Fordham, Professor of Gender and Disaster Resilience. She founded the UCL IRDR Centre for Gender and Disaster and has contributed significantly in highlighting the need for breaking down silos and to think outside the box, to think ‘intersectionally'. Fordham states that "Gender Responsive Resilience GRR is not always & only about women, it’s not always and only about vulnerability, it’s not always and only about blame, but it is always, fundamentally, about inclusivity, rights and justice". This ultimately means we need to fundamentally address our socio, economic and cultural inequalities to help build resilience, and reduce gender inequality for all threats and hazards.