S&TC - Scientific Technical Committee

SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL COMMITTEE (S & TC)

CHAIR

Chair, Scientific & Technical Committee (S & TC), DMICS-WCDM
Senior Professor, Disaster Management
Indian Institute of Public Administration
Vice Chairman, Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, Gangtok

Prof. Vinod Kumar Sharma is a distinguished Indian professor and pioneer in the field of disaster management. He is recognized as the first professor of disaster management in India and was honoured with the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar in 2022 for his significant contributions to disaster risk reduction.

Prof. Sharma has been honoured with the prestigious "Paul H. Appleby Award" in 2017 for his distinguished contributions to the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) and the field of Public Administration. He was the founder coordinator of the National Center for Disaster Management (NCDM) and currently serves as a Senior Professor at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).

Throughout his career, Prof. Sharma has held various prestigious academic and consulting positions. He has been an associate professor at the University of Benghazi, the University of Sulaymaniyah, and Salahaddin University-Erbil, and a visiting professor at Kyoto University. Additionally, he served as a consultant at the University of Delaware and worked as a resource person at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

Currently, he is the Vice Chairman of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority and a member of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP-2020) of the Government of India, where he focuses on capacity building. His past roles also include Chief of Party for the Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER), a USAID-funded program supporting six Asian countries. He is also a member of several high-level committees on disaster management, including the High Powered Committee on Disaster Management (1999-2001) and the National Committee on Disaster Management (2001-2003).
Prof. Sharma holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environment from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, where he also earned a P.G. Diploma in Resource Ecology. His academic journey and professional contributions have been instrumental in shaping disaster management policies and practices both in India and internationally.

MEMBERS

Visiting Professor, Kyoto, Lund and Oxford Brookes Universities
Honorary Visiting Professor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Europe
Adjunct Professor & Advisor to Amrita School for Sustainable Futures
Amritapuri Campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala

Prof. Ian Davis is a distinguished architect and academic with a career spanning over six decades. He trained in London and Atlanta and worked in prestigious architectural firms, including Erno Goldfinger and Minoru Yamasaki’s offices. His architectural career culminated with his role as Job Architect for the Barbican Arts Centre in London. Transitioning into academia, Ian became Principal Lecturer at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University) and later taught at various summer schools in the U.S.

Since 1972, Ian has focused on Disaster Risk and Recovery Management, contributing extensively as an academic, author, consultant, and advisor to governments and UN agencies. He wrote the first PhD on disaster shelter and authored key works like Shelter after Disaster (1978) and At Risk: People’s Vulnerability to Disasters (1994). In 1996, he received the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Prevention. Ian also co-authored Recovery from Disaster (2015) and played a role in integrating Disaster Risk Reduction with climate change adaptation.

A Visiting Professor at Kyoto, Lund, and Oxford Brookes, Ian has been involved with numerous NGOs, including as a founder trustee of Traidcraft, a pioneering UK Fairtrade organization. He has authored 16 books and over 90 articles on disaster and development. Ian’s diverse interests include architecture, sensory design, post-disaster recovery, classical music, watercolor painting, and church-related activities. In 2020, he published Experiencing Oxford, illustrated with his watercolors, and is currently leading an online course on ‘Sensory Architecture’ for U.S. architectural students in American Universities.

MEMBERS

Dr. Satendra Dhiman, IFS (Retd.), is a globally renowned authority on climate and disaster resilience, with over 40 years of pioneering leadership in disaster risk management, environmental governance, and sustainable rural development. A distinguished 1986-batch Indian Forest Service officer, he has held esteemed positions, including Executive Director of the National Institute of Disaster Management (MHA, GOI), Director of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, and Special Secretary, Disaster Management Department, Bihar, spearheading transformative resilience initiatives. His expertise has shaped World Bank and UNDP disaster management projects, national forest fire policies at MoEF, and health disaster resilience strategies as Director General, Department of Health, Bihar.

On the international stage, Dr. Dhiman has served as Team Leader/Expert for FAO-UN across Bangladesh, the Philippines, Moldova, Lao PDR, Egypt, NENA countries, and Italy and as an International Climate and Disaster Resilience Policy Expert for ADB in Manila and SASEC countries, influencing global policy frameworks.

A Gold Medalist from Delhi University, he holds a Ph.D. in Geo-Tectonics, a Post-Doctorate in Sustainable Rural Development, and an MBA in Disaster Management (University of Hull, UK), alongside multiple postgraduate credentials in Applied Geology, Forestry, Ecology, and Environment. A former national-level regatta and water polo player, he holds an NCC Naval Wing ‘C’ Certificate and has knowledge of seven languages. A prolific author of 12 books, Honorary Professor at Amity University, and external faculty at FRI Dehradun, his contributions across 15+ countries continue to shape global disaster resilience and sustainable development strategies.

MEMBERS

Former Director General
India Meteorological Department
Government of India

Dr K. J. Ramesh is the former Director General of Meteorology at IMD. His area of specialization includes numerical weather prediction that includes hazard and climate risk assessment and early warning. He has worked on model diagnostics, monsoon dynamics and disaster mitigation modelling. He was involved in monsoon research at IIT Delhi for ten years followed by being a Group Head at the NCMRWF and Head Disaster management Unit of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

In Ministry of Earth Sciences, he was heading atmospheric science services and climate change research programme development before taking over as DGM, IMD. He is an elected Fellow of Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, an elected Member of National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad and has more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals to his credit.

MEMBERS

Former HoD
Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management
Former Professor of Psychiatric Social Work
NIMHANS, Bangalore

Prof. Kasi Sekar, a renowned expert in psychiatric social work, holds a Master's in Social Work and a Ph.D. in Psychiatric Social Work from NIMHANS. With over four decades of experience at NIMHANS, he served as Professor, Head of the Centre for Disaster Management, and former Registrar. His expertise includes disaster psychosocial support, mental health services, children in difficult circumstances, and community mental health.

Prof. Sekar has contributed to major Indian disasters, co-authored the National Guidelines on Psychosocial Support and Mental Health Services for NDMA, and received multiple awards, including the NAPSWI Lifetime Achievement Award (2019). He has published over 250 articles, led numerous international humanitarian projects, and conducts training programs on psychosocial support in disaster management. He is the recipient of the prestigious WCDM-DRR Award 2025.

MEMBERS

Prof. Ghosh, a Civil Engineering graduate from Bengal Engineering College (now IIEST), completed his PhD at IIT Kanpur and earned his Dr. Engg. degree from Ibaraki University, Japan. He was the former Professor & Head at NIDM and specialized in earthquake geotechnology, reinforced earth, seismic microzonation, ground improvement, geosynthetics, and bio-engineering measures for sustainable development. With over 30 years of experience.

Prof. Ghosh contributed extensively to UG and PG teaching, research guidance, and the development of teaching tools and training modules for engineers, architects, and town planners. He published more than 135 papers in reputed journals and conference proceedings.

MEMBERS

Professor, PI / CEO,
Integrated Centre for Adaptation, Resilience & Sustainability (ICARS: GOI-DST CoE), IIT - Roorkee, Gr. Noida Campus (NCR)
Former Professor & Head ECDRM, International Cooperation, Director of Projects & COEs NIDM, New Delhi

Dr. Anil Kumar Gupta is a globally recognized leader in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and policy planning, with over 30 years of impactful contributions. He has played a pivotal role in establishing India’s first COEs in disaster management, shaping national policies, and advancing resilient infrastructure and climate resilience strategies. Dr. Gupta led strategic programs like “HighCAP” and “Her-CAP” and has developed over 50 training modules, impacting thousands globally.

Prof. Gupta’s work in mainstreaming climate change adaptation (CCA) and DRR through collaborations with UNDP, IPCC, UNEP, and IUCN helped shape eco-DRR and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). He has drafted key national disaster management plans and conducted over 1000 capacity-building programs, benefiting 8000+ stakeholders globally. As Chief Editor of the Springer Book Series on Disaster Resilience, he has mentored professionals, scholars, and officials. He has received numerous awards, including the UN-PEDRR Outstanding Contribution Award in 2024 and prestigious WCDM-DRR Award 2025.

MEMBERS

Dean
School of Human & Environmental Studies
North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong

Prof. Devesh Walia is a distinguished researcher and educator in the field of geology, geophysics, and disaster risk reduction (DRR). His ground-breaking research on seismicity, crustal deformation, radon measurements, and geophysical techniques has significantly advanced disaster management strategies, especially in Northeast India. Prof. Walia's extensive fieldwork, data analysis, and capacity-building initiatives have enhanced community resilience and informed policy on seismic mitigation and application of Nature based Solution.

He has trained legislators, engineers, and local officials on disaster preparedness and resilience. His collaborations with international institutions and contributions to DRR policies, early warning systems, and building codes further highlight his exceptional impact in the field. Prof. Walia is a fellow and executive member of various National and International associations and associated with various institutions of repute as academic/ administrative advisor. He is the recipient of the prestigious WCDM-DRR Award 2025.

MEMBERS

Professor
School of Environmental Sciences
Former Chairperson, Special Centre for Disaster Research
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Prof. P K Joshi is Professor School of Environmental Sciences (SES), and former Chairperson Special Centre for Disaster Research (SCDR) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Prior to shifting to New Delhi in 2007, he was with Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for around a decade.

Prof. Joshi has immensely contributed in understanding geosphere-biosphere interactions while using inputs from earth observation system and geospatial technology. He has addressed some of the pressing questions related to climate change while integrating dataset from variety of LULC, and glacier, precipitation and temperature regimes. His research work also contributes to DRR while assessing the impact and vulnerability of climate change. Recognized by INSA and NASI for his contributions, he has published extensively and has supervised numerous graduate students worldwide. Prof. Joshi has taught at prestigious institutions like the University of Helsinki, Yale University, and University of Freiburg and regularly contributes to national newspapers and leading international journals. He was recipient of the prestigious WCDM-DRR Award 2022 as Chairperson of SCDR/JNU.

He possesses a scholastic record coupled with strong leadership skills and networking capabilities. He has made significant contribution as a ‘Scientific Administrator’ and in promoting ‘Scientific Research’ inter-alia through both publications and outreach activities.

MEMBERS

Professor of Risk Management
Founder & President, Avoidable Deaths Network
Associate Director & Research Challenge Leader, Institute for Environmental Futures
Marketing and Strategy, School of Business
University of Leicester, Leicester
LE1 7RH, UK

Prof. Nibedita S. Ray-Bennett is a social scientist specialising in disaster risk reduction and international development at the interface with public health. She is the founding president of the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN), a founding governing board member and associate director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester. Nibedita is a global expert at the International Science Council.

She launched the flexible learning MSc Risk, Crisis, and Disaster Management in 2020. In 2023, she launched the ADN’s global campaign, ‘International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths’ (IAD4AD), with her research partner, Dr Hideyuki Shiroshita.

Nibedita’s research is inter-disciplinary and transdisciplinary. It focuses primarily on reducing avoidable disaster deaths in lower-middle and low-income countries through novel theories, methods, interventions, lifesaving kits, networking, public engagement, and advocacy.

Nibedita is the author of Caste, Class and Gender in Multiple Disasters (VDM Verlag, 2009) Avoidable Deaths: Systems Failure Approach to Disaster Risk Management (Springer Nature, 2018) and Avoiding Disaster Deaths: Why Do So Many People Die? (Springer, 2025).

Nibedita’s work can be followed through this link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/