Dilanthi
Amaratunga
Professor of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Head, Global Disaster Resilience Centre, School of Applied Sciences, The University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom
For the past 23 years, Dilanthi has been an internationally renowned leading expert in disaster resilience and Professor of Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction, with an outstanding international research profile that illustrates an extensive, over 30 years’ experience of crossing disciplinary boundaries. This is evidenced by a sustained and substantial record of internationally recognised and world-leading record of high-quality, peer reviewed research publications and other achievements. She has led cutting-edge research, including external engagement with international policy actors and local communities, and she has innovated in education and institutional citizenship. These key contributions have demonstrated her leadership within the international research community and peer respected research.
Currently, she heads the Global Disaster Resilience Centre at the University of Huddersfield, which is a global leader in interdisciplinary research, education, and advocacy to improve the resilience of nations and communities.
Extensive Academic Career
From University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka to University of Huddersfield, UK
Dilanthi obtained her BSc (Quantity Surveying) Degree with First Class Honours from the University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka in 1993. She was the winner of “Sri Lanka Institute of Quantity Surveyors Award” for the best overall performance and “Professor H.P.S. Caldera Memorial Award” for the Best Performance at the final year examination. In October 1997, she was awarded the prestigious Overseas Research Scholarship Award, which enabled her to begin her doctoral studies at the University of Salford, UK. In 2001, she received her PhD from the University of Salford, UK and since then, she has continued to develop her research in a manner that demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, encouraging colleagues and students to fulfil their full potential. Prior to joining the University of Huddersfield, UK in 2014, she was at the University of Salford since 1997, starting out as a PhD research scholar. Within a span of 5 years, she progressed from being a lecturer to a full Professor at the University of Salford in 2006.
Dilanthi considers herself as an internationally leading expert with a commitment to improve the quality of life and livelihoods of low-income groups living in the global south in particular, through her knowledge about disaster risks, and climate change, development and their inter-relationships. Her work recognises that with growing population and interconnected built environments, the world’s exposure to hazards is increasing. What would it be like to live in a world in that government authorities, businesses, communities, and individuals work together to create a society that can withstand the effects of unforeseen events and threats? Her academic activities are linked by a commitment to make this happen through her knowledge, initiatives and interventions on disaster risks, climate change and its adaptation, sustainable development, and their inter-relationships. Her research emphasises that it is crucial and critical to anticipate, plan for and reduce disaster risk in order, to protect people, communities and countries in a more effective manner.
Over the past 23 years, her research has contributed to these broad areas and integrates an understanding of disaster risk and climate change adaptation into development needs, their governance, and recently, public health. Her key research areas include: early warning systems in preventing/minimising the loses due to hazards, natural, climate induced and biological, and planning the most appropriate actions; Understanding disaster and climate risks – Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change Adaptation; Disasters as a socially-constructed phenomenon; risks governance and accountability; Cities, urbanisation and disasters; Integrating public health preparedness into development processes; Disaster resilience from the perspective of the social/political, economic and physical sciences; DRR and sustainable development. Together with public and private institutions, local and national authorities, she is playing an active role in advancing the discipline, progress reporting, providing policy recommendations, sharing knowledge and promoting collaborations.
Research Activities
Pioneering in Disaster Risk Reduction
Dilanthi maximises the impact of her research based upon identifying and coordinating powerful research collaborations across Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australasia. These collaborative research programmes raise the recognition and reputation of her research while simultaneously enabling her to increase its research capacity and deliver world class research outputs. She works with other academic groups at leading Universities, International and national organisations and NGOs who share its values and desire to deliver applied research and innovation across and outside the built environment disciplines.
She both individually as the lead and as part of a team has successfully secured 34 research grants totalling over £20 million. She has received substantial amounts of funding for international research from a wide variety of sources, and from 20 funders since 2014, including UK Research Councils, European Commission, British Council, UK Aid/Official Development Assistance (ODA), World Bank and from many UN Agencies. She has led and contributed as Project Manager and Co-Investigator for 34 international research grants worth over £20m since 2014 at University of Huddersfield, have received funding from 20 funding agencies, and have collaborated with 323 research partners in 67 countries. The extent of the research income and the network of her research collaborations significantly exceeds the norms for her discipline.
Her expert consultancy contributes to the areas of disaster risk reduction; gender equity; early warning; climate change adaptation; disaster preparedness and recovery plans and governance; the role of national and local governments and civil society in this; and to integrating an understanding of disaster risk into development. She has held over 30 consultancy positions, funded by the World Bank, the UNDRR and other funders.
Dilanthi’s vision has always been to be an international leader in disaster risks, climate change and its adaptation, sustainable development, and their inter-relationships. and she has been working towards this goal for several years. The key contributions she has made have been in providing leadership to the international research, practice and policy community, and peers. Her proven strengths in terms of leadership and scholarly wisdom have added value towards this cause. Through her national and international leadership roles, she has contributed to relevant strategic aims through collaborative working and has demonstrated true leadership and helped substantially enhance the reputation of the university through her various contributions.
Dilanthi has a proven track record in several successful research management roles since 2002, demonstrating outstanding and sustained contribution to fostering the collegial environment, and research leadership. Since 2014 to date, she has been leading a team of interdisciplinary researchers as Head of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre, drawing upon different disciplines and schools at the University of Huddersfield. Since its inception in 2014, it has expanded to become one of the UKs leading research groups on DRR, CCA and management. In 2023, she was an Award Winner for Kindness & Leadership, 50 Leading Lights in the UK, which seeks to shine a great big spotlight on leaders who are impacting others
Among several leadership roles, she is the Co-Editor of International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, a SCOPUS indexed journal to promote research and scholarly activity that examines the role of building and construction to anticipate and respond to unexpected events that damage or destroy the built environment. In 2017, she was appointed by Royal Academy of Engineering as the Chair of RCUK GCRF funded Inclusive Prosperity and Wellbeing in the Context of Mass Displacement International Frontiers of Development Symposium held in Kigali, Rwanda. She has project managed to successful completion of many international research projects generating significant research outputs.
Leadership
Including the chair of the United Nations Working Group on Words into action on Accountability and Governance
Dilanthi at ASCENT Festival
She has developed an outstanding research track record over a sustained period, through her research activities, publications, scholarship, external engagement, and is internationally recognised as a leader in her field. She has always invested her efforts in generating excellent quality publications that are internationally outstanding, displaying a very high level of originality, significance and rigour, innovative and potentially agenda setting, and to be an essential point of reference for work in its field. She has a very strong and extensive track record of publications comprising 167 journal articles, 11 edited books, 95 peer reviewed book chapters, 127 research reports, 30 policy briefs, 431 reviewed conference papers, and 37 edited international conference proceedings. She has received a number of awards for her publications throughout her career, including Best Paper Award at the CIB World Building Congress, Tampere, Finland, June 2016 (2016 CIB World Congress was the biggest global research, development and innovation event of the year with 400+ papers accepted to be presented where 50 countries bringing in the world’s leading professionals and delegates); and she was the Winner of the H.E. the President of Sri Lanka Award for 2014 Scientific Publication.
Conferences
Knowledge sharing and dissemination
Dilanthi has led and chaired many international conferences. These events demonstrate her role, as a leader in the disaster mitigation and reconstruction field and as a conduit for international collaboration and engagement. Many of these conferences have brought together major international networks to address global challenges and advance research agendas. She firmly believes that a Conference Chair makes a big difference in each delegates’ experience and for Dilanthi, well-run conferences are fun, memorable, streamlined, and purposeful.
Her international research profile is evidenced by the number of invitations she has received to deliver a large number of keynote speeches (over 120) and presentations at international conferences, events and visits. These invitations recognise numerous key notes and plenary addresses she has delivered which, further confirms her position as a global leader in her chosen area of expertise and as a catalyst for positive change, both within the built and human environment and at its many interfaces. These opportunities provide the means to disseminate her research to international policy makers, industrialists, and academics, thus enabling her to play a leading role in shaping the built and human environment links to disaster mitigation and reconstruction, incorporating inclusiveness and social responsibility.
She is also frequently invited to provide expert advice on disaster risk reduction and management by national and local governments and international agencies. She has shared her know how and presented her up to date research fundings widely at international conferences, has led international disaster management workshops and seminars, and is working actively with the United Nations.
Amongst other roles, she is a member of the European Commission and UNDRR’s European Science & Technology Advisory Group representing the UK. She is also a Steering Committee member of the Frontiers of Development programme, a collaborative programme of The Royal Academy of Engineering, The Academy of Medical Sciences, The British Academy and The Royal Society). She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), a Fellow and a Chartered Manager of the Chartered Management Institute, UK.
Established International Reputation
Dilanthi at ASCENT Festival
International Networks and Partnerships
Collaborations Matter
Significant and sustained engagement with industry and other end-users of research with demonstrable and substantial outcomes are evidenced based on her work. She has developed an outstanding international profile through her research activities, scholarship, and external engagement. Since 2014, she has worked with 323 international organisations, in 67 countries. This has included with vulnerable communities and relevant stakeholders engaged as collaborators in the research design, and throughout the implementation period, as appropriate. These partnerships are with organisations that share her mission and vision to play a leading role in shaping the built and human environment and its links to disaster mitigation and reconstruction. They also demonstrate the global reach, spanning institutions in Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, and Australia. They also position her to engage globally with key development agencies; local, regional and central government; universities and other higher education and further education bodies; and employers, industry and professional bodies. Engaging with industry is a dialogue. She seeks advice and input from industry leaders, while in return it seeks to influence policy and practice.
Dilanthi’s research projects, presentations and partnerships are testimony to a vibrant and ever-developing web of research and innovation. These opportunities provide the means to disseminate her research to international policy makers, industrialists, and academics. They generate impact and enable her to play a leading role in shaping the built and human environment towards green and sustainable futures, incorporating high quality living and social responsibility.
She plays a leading role in her profession and has representations on many of the distinguished and influential international networks and committees. These appointments demonstrate the high standing of her work among peers and major stakeholders. They also position her to engage globally with key development agencies; local, regional, and central government; universities, other higher education, and further education bodies; employers, industry, and professional bodies. In doing so, she is of the view that she is able to direct and influence future policy and the research agenda. These appointments acknowledge her global standing, while also providing her the opportunity to strengthen partnerships and discover best practices. She continues to make an impact through her involvement in national and international strategic advisory bodies.
Creating Impact through Research
Creating research impact, and engagement with societal and/or policy-related impact activities forms a major role in her activities and has a major impact beyond academia. A substantial part of her work has been at the interface between research and policy-making, translating knowledge into actionable objectives and communicating scientific knowledge to policy makers, practitioners, and the public. She has a strong track record of translating research into impact through publication and advisory work, and through engaging with policy, public service leaders and practice. She has achieved international recognition for these activities, as demonstrated by her awards: prestigious Newton Prize in 2019, and the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) Award.