New members of the Scientific Committee for the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme have been appointed by the International Science Council (ISC). 

The Committee provides scientific guidance for IRDR to deliver on its mission to mobilize science for the reduction of all types of disaster risk, building resilience and reducing vulnerability by integrating risk science with climate change adaptation and mitigation and sustainable development. 

To achieve this mission, the IRDR will bring together expertise from sciences, technologies, engineering and more to improve knowledge and understanding of risk and uncertainty that hamper progress toward inclusive, safe and sustainable development; to promote innovation in research and action and effective solutions in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and to build institutional capacity required under various socio-economic and cultural settings and development contexts for risk-informed sustainable development.  

The 15 members of the new Scientific Committee represent different regions of the world and scientific domains, providing a broad range of expertise to support the IRDR objectives. The members are: 

• Dr. Alik Ismail-Zadeh (Germany – Natural Sciences) 

• Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach (Uganda – Medical Sciences) 

• Prof. Fang Chen (China – Engineering & Technology) 

• Prof. Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi (Mexico – Natural Sciences) 

• Prof. Josephine Ngaira (Kenya – Natural Sciences) 

• Dr. Kaoru Takara (Japan – Natural Sciences) 

• Dr. Katayoon Bahramian (Australia – Engineering & Technology) 

• Dr. Khamarrul Azahari Razak (Malaysia – Engineering & Technology) 

• Prof. Maria Soledad Garcia Ferrari (UK – Social Sciences) 

• Dr. Naxhelli Ruiz-Rivera (Mexico – Social Sciences) 

• Dr. Nuraini Rahma Hanifa (Indonesia – Natural Sciences) 

• Dr. Ronald Roopnarine (Trinidad & Tobago – Natural Sciences) 

• Dr. Saja Al Zoubi (Canada – Economics) 

• Prof. Timothy Melbourne (USA – Natural Sciences) 

• Dr.  Yu Lei (China – Natural Sciences) 

The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) is an international scientific programme cosponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The International Programme Office (IPO) of IRDR is supported by the China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of CAS.