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Last updated 16th March 2023

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga  is a leading international  expert in disaster resilience with an international reputation. As of 2022, she collaborates with 288 research partners  in 57 countries, delivering a strong research portfolio focused on impact. 

Since joining University of Huddersfield in September 2014 as its Professor of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, she co-leads the University’s Global Disaster Resilience Centre , responsible for supporting research on disaster management portfolios. Her interdisciplinary background provides her the opportunities to work across a broader disaster management research agenda including developing partnerships of international research teams, government, NGOs and communities. As a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion in academia, she is supporting  initiatives to generate gender balance; early and mid-career research development; and create opportunities for research benefitting vulnerable  communities.

She has project managed to successful completion a large number of international research projects generating significant research outputs. To date, she has produced over 500 publications, refereed papers and reports, and has made over 100 key note speeches in around 44 countries. She is regularly invited to provide expert advice on disaster resilience by national and local governments and international agencies. She has lead and chaired a large number of international conferences, including the International Conference on Building Resilience (ICBR) series which she co-created. These events demonstrate her role, as a leader in the field and as a conduit for international collaboration and engagement. 

Among several other leadership roles, she is the joint editor chief of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, a SCOPUS indexed journal, a member of the European Commission and UNDRR’s  European Science & Technology Advisory Group, and 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 an  appointed member of the MCR2030 Regional Coordination Committee for Europe, an initiative led by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)  and its partners to support cities in taking action to reduce disaster risk in alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. She is also a steering committee member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR), motivation of which is to bring together the UK’s rich and diverse disaster research community, to facilitate collaboration and partnership in order to aid representation of the research community at government level in the UK. She is an expert member, IOC-UNESCO (The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO),  for ICG/IOTWMS (Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System) WG-1 on Tsunami Risk, Community Awareness & Preparedness. The IOC-UNESCO, established in 1960 as a body with functional autonomy within UNESCO, is the only competent organization for marine science within the UN system. ICG/IOTWMS member List including all Indian Ocean surrounding 28 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, British Indian Ocean Territory, Comoros, Djibouti, France - Reunion, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. 

Her outstanding contributions, publications and services to her field of expertise  have been recognised with numerous international awards and prizes.   She is the winner of the prestigious 2019 Newton Prize (with colleagues), which recognises the best research and innovation projects which create an impact socially and economically, between Indonesia and the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019. In 2018, she received the Received the “His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Award” from His Excellency, Maithreepala Sirisena,  President of Sri Lanka, for the contribution to Disaster Resilience in Sri Lanka . in 2018, she  won the UALL International Award for 2018, which recognises innovative engagement, including partnerships, that create change in an international and transnational context.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS); Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, UK; Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK; Fellow/Chartered Manager of the Chartered Management Institute, UK.