Sheena was part of the 2016 intake of the multidisciplinary Action on Natural Disasters (AND) doctoral training programme and was based in Philosophy/ Geography. Sheena worked towards developing simple rules to minimize co-seismic landslide hazard. Complex problems such as hazard analysis and mitigation require decision rules that are adequate to the task in a twofold sense: they work for the environment within which the decision is taken; and they work for the decision-maker who, very often, operates under conditions of great uncertainty, computational limitation and temporal pressure.
Chandika started her PhD in early 2016 (funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation). Chandika’s research looked at the geography of postdisaster (physical and psychological) health: spatial patterning of vulnerability and resilience factors in Nepal after the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake.
Gopi was part of the 2016 intake of the multidisciplinary Action on Natural Disasters (AND) doctoral training programme and was based in Geography. Gopi’s research developed effective and sustainable communication strategies for people at risk of landslides in mountainous countries. This ranged from effective strategies for knowledge sharing, responding to early warnings and aligning the latest science on earthquake risk with community understandings and responses. Gopi graduated in 2021.
Eleftheria started her PhD in 2018. Her research rethought the Financial Instruments for Natural Hazards in Developing countries. Eleftheria graduated as a civil engineer from the National Technical University of Athens and combined her engineering background with Socioeconomics and Disaster Risk Finance. Eleftheria graduated 2021.
Samprada was the recipient of 2016 Action on Natural Disasters (AND) PhD Scholarship initiated by IHRR, Durham University. Her research focused on investigating the effects of earthquakes and monsoon triggered landslides on the strategic roads along hillside slopes of Nepal. She used her Geotechnical Engineering background to understand failure mechanism of past landslides and model potential roadside slope failure scenarios, using field measurements, soil testing, and computer modelling techniques. Samprada graduated 2020.
Ayushman started his PhD in 2016 (funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation). His PhD aimed to understand the effects of mobilities governance on pre and post-disaster mobilities of migrant women in human trafficking prone areas of South Asia. The research extend the understanding of several dimensions of emergency governance that captured the imaginations of mobilities theorists, and build an understanding of gendered mobilities in the midst of the human trafficking narrative. Ayushman graduated 2019.
Katy was one of 2016 intake of the multidisciplinary Action on Natural Disasters (AND) doctoral training programme and was based in Earth Sciences. Katy's research focused on the use of satellite radar in identifying earthquake-triggered landslides, using the 2015 Gorkha earthquake as a case study. The aim of the project was to develop an automatic detection algorithm for earthquake-triggered landslides and to use this to produce an inventory of landsliding in Nepal from 2014-2018. Katy graduate 2019.
Erwin's thesis was entitled 'Resilience Governmentality: Rationality, Apparatus and Subjectivity in Building Urban Resilience in Indonesia' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. His research focused on “risk governance and governmentality in experimental urban adaptation from Indonesian cities”. The research investigated cities in Indonesia that have joined the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) and experiment with adaptation planning, especially when prior institutional frameworks, regulations and successful experiences had never existed. Erwin Nugraha graduated in 2018.
Liaquat's thesis was entitled 'Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: A Study of The Government of Pakistan’s Housing Reconstruction Programme in Azard Jammu & Kashmir after the October 2005 Earthquake' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. His thesis provided an auto-ethnographic study to understand how societies become vulnerable to natural disasters and what role post-disaster housing reconstruction can play in addressing this vulnerability. The performance and impact of the post-2005 Kashmir earthquake housing reconstruction program was evaluated in this study by using the mixed-methods research approach. Linqat’s research attempted to find what factors made people vulnerable to seismic hazard in AJK and turned an otherwise not so big 7.6 earthquake into one of the deadliest environmental disasters in the world. Liaqat Hussain graduated in 2017.
Nahid's thesis was entitled 'Disasters and access to healthcare in the coastal region of Bangladesh: a gendered analysis' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. Her research focused on the gender-specific health impacts of cyclones and the factors shaping accessibility to healthcare in disasters. It also investigated current disaster plans and policies for pre-and post-disaster healthcare provision, and to what extent they account for gender. The study was situated in Barguna, Bangladesh, highly vulnerable to cyclones due to its remote coastal location, poor socio-economic conditions and transport, and insufficient healthcare provision. Nahid Rezwana graduated in 2016.
Joseph's thesis was entitled 'Exploring health risks and Resilience in a Rural Population in the Context of Environment-Related Diseases, Ngara, Tanzania' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. Joseph PhD research explored how communities in Ngara, Tanzania perceive risk of environment-related diseases such as malaria and diarrhoeal disease. This research was developed in an attempt to understand how social and cultural beliefs and perceptions mediate health and the way that they contribute to, escalate or reduce risks to health. The study explored these attributes in the context of two issues: firstly, environment-related health risks pertaining to malaria and diarrheal diseases, and secondly residential perceptions and views of public health interventions and programme. Joseph graduated in 2015.
David's thesis was entitled 'Respiratory Hazards from Volcanic Eruptions in South Asia and Central America' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. This research focused on dome-forming eruptions, particularly fine-grained volcanic ash, which can travel deep into the lungs when breathed in. Once inhaled, it can cause damage and disease or worsen existing health problems. For his research, David studied a selection of volcanoes in South Asia and Central America because of widespread concern over the health hazard of ash to communities due to population density and limited access to health care. David Damby graduated in 2012.
Christina's thesis was entitled 'Young people in self-care: Behaviours and Experiences in farming households in Kilmbero Valley, Tanzania' and was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. Her work sought to investigate the vulnerability and risk exposure of school children to Malaria when parents are away from home farming in the Kilombero valley in southern Tanzania. Christina graduated in social science from the University of Dar es Salaam and previously worked at the Ifakara Health Institute as a research assistant. Christina completed her Masters in 2011.
Robert was a Hydro Nation PhD Scholar of the Scottish Government at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. His PhD explored the role of local knowledge in community-based flood risk management in Southern Malawi while trying to develop pathways for its enhanced use in development approaches. Trained as a Civil Engineer (BSc and MSc from University of Split in Croatia), and with an MSc in Flood Risk Management (IHE Delft, TU Dresden, UPC Barcelona and University of Ljubljana), Robert was an interdisciplinary researcher with interest in disaster risk reduction at local levels, urban flood resilience, multi and cascading hazards, and serious gaming. His goal was to conduct applied research with tackling real-life challenges in the developing world, through coupling his engineering know-how with in-depth perspectives provided by social sciences. For research outputs, see Robert's Research Gate.
Muhammad was funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation. The research aim of the project was to examine climate change adaptation policy in Bangladesh in the context of increasing interest and activity around climate change adaptation and concerns over whether climate adaptation policy and funding are aligned to domestic development priorities. This research project approached through a political economy perspective on climate change adaptation and followed a qualitative case study approach as the main foundation of methodological design of this research.
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