NEREIDS is a new network to specifically connect and support early career researchers working in interdisciplinary disaster studies.

Much emphasis is placed on “interdisciplinary” working (both in research and policy), yet there is a clear lack of support for early career researchers whose trajectories do not follow traditional disciplinary pathways – and often a lack of expertise in managing and maintaining meaningful and sustained collaboration across entrenched disciplinary boundaries. Often, the same institutions and bodies calling for interdisciplinary collaboration do not value or recognize actual interdisciplinary efforts or results, and early career researchers are particularly disadvantaged by the current structures of academia, publishing, and research institutes.

If you have had this experience or similar, you are not alone, and this network is for you.

This is a subnetwork of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR) early career network.

This network aims to provide a forum for the exchange of experiences and mutual support among those whose work spans multiple disciplines – particularly those working across the social and the natural sciences. We also aim to build a repository of expertise on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary working in disaster studies.

Webinar and launch event:

 The network hosted a joint UKADR – NEREIDS webinar and launch event on Friday 9^th of September 2022, where interdisciplinary disaster research was discussed and structured breakouts were conducted in small groups. This was an event for early career researchers to share perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in interdisciplinary disaster research.  

In one exercise we asked participants what are the key challenges they experienced in interdisciplinary work in disaster risk reduction. The results are displayed in this word cloud:

We are currently following up on this successful launch event and planning future activities and collaborations. To take part:

Please follow this link to join the network and its mailing list on JISCmail:

https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?SUBED1=NEREIDS&A=1

If you have any questions please contact Mia Wroe (mw877@cam.ac.uk)