40 Last checked on 23 June 2020

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga  is a leading international  expert in disaster resilience with an international reputation. Dilanthi’s vision has always been to be an international leader in disaster risk reduction and management with specific emphasis on the built environment, and to champion the under representation of women in this key research area. She began her academic career as a lecturer at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka in 1994, which she commenced immediately after the completion of the BSc Degree with First Class Honours at the same University in 1993. Subsequently, 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 and since then, she has continued to develop her research in a manner that demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, to encouraging colleagues and students to fulfil their full potential.

In 2007, Dilanthi was promoted to the post of Professor with a focus on disaster management.  Since joining University of Huddersfield in September 2014 as its Professor of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, she leads the University’s Global Disaster Resilience Centre , responsible for supporting research on disaster management portfolios. An interdisciplinary background in Quantity Surveying, Facilities and Business Continuity Management, Education and Training, Gender and Disasters and Disaster Mitigation and Reconstruction provides her the opportunities to work across a broader disaster management research agenda including developing partnerships of international research teams, government, NGOs and 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 40 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 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.

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, She is a member of the European Commission and UNDRR’s  European Science & Technology Advisory Group representing the UK. She is 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 formally 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).  The primary motivation for the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR) 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 the disaster resilience and management have been recognised with numerous international awards and prizes.   She is the winner of the prestigious 2019 Newton Prize (with colleagues). Newton Prize 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.

• Disaster Risk Reduction in the Built Environment -  Understanding disaster risk
• Preparedness for response and Post-Disaster Reconstruction
• Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction - Women as a force in resilience building, gender equality in DRR
• Disaster resilience from the perspective of the social/political, economic and physical sciences
• Social impact of reconstruction
• Capacity building for disaster mitigation and reconstruction
• Post-conflict reconstruction
• Women in construction
• Facilities and business continuity management 

Click here to see all postgraduate research opportunities with Professor Dithanthi Amarattunga