Leaders in decision support for disaster resilience

Griffith University's applied interdisciplinary research tackles some of the world's most pressing challenges, delivering tailored decision-support solutions to help communities successfully manage threats from bushfires, extreme weather events, including floods and heatwaves, water security and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Griffith University researchers, through the Disaster Management Network, engage in co-operative planning for disasters, locally, nationally, regionally and internationally, working with government and non-government organisations to mitigate the impacts arising from disasters, including displacement, loss of life, and injury arising from climate change disasters.

The University's state-of-the-art facilities are designed to enable improved disaster management and resilience decision support for research and scenario planning, as well as activation training for disaster response and recovery.

Griffith University’s interdisciplinary and applied research experts work to achieve sustainable, resilient Australian communities of the future, ready to prevent, prepare, respond and recover (PPRR) in a crisis.

Working closely with frontline responders, practitioners, industry and leaders, the University brings together more than 50 academics with expertise in business, engineering, communications, economics, climate, environmental science, sustainability, tourism and health.

Griffith university’s applied interdisciplinary research has tackled some of the world’s most pressing challenges, delivering tailored decision-support solutions to help communities successfully manage threats from bushfires, extreme weather events including floods and heatwaves, water security and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevention

Working to minimise exposure to disasters, through understanding and predicting the severity of all hazards and consequences for people and infrastructure.

Preparedness

Working with government, industry and communities to identify risks, and to manage the impact and consequences of potential disasters through codesign, co-operative planning, learning from the past, projecting scenarios, and predictive analysis.

Response

Working with political and community leaders to efficiently and effectively build and activate emergency management capabilities. These initiatives are in partnership with emergency responders, not-for-profit organisations and communities.

Recovery

Working towards better futures through enabling resilient community outcomes from recovery efforts, spanning ‘build back better’ infrastructure solutions, environmental stewardship, and mental and social wellbeing.

13 Climate action 17 Partnerships for the goals

Sustainable Development Goals

Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to taking action on climate change and strengthening global partnerships to address this issue, collaborating on innovative solutions for a sustainable and resilient future.

Disaster Management in focus

Learn how the University enables communities to build disaster resilience and practical, real-world solutions.

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Griffith University researchers met with government and private bodies to participate in co-operative planning for disasters. This involved hearing first-hand the policy issues and research challenges that are being faced, such as displacement (within and across borders), loss of life, and injury, due to changing world conditions whether they be climate related, pandemic induced, or social impacts being suffered because of disasters and crises.

Our meeting, held 15 May 2023, included stakeholders from:

  • National Emergency Management Australia (NEMA)
  • Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA)
  • Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA)
  • Inspector General Emergency Management (IGEM)
  • Queensland Disaster Research Alliance (QDRA)
  • Red Cross Australia (RCA)
  • Queensland Police Service (QPS)
  • Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES)
  • Redland City Council (RCC)
  • Bentley Software Education

Our researchers shared their work, approaches, and innovative solutions for climate change disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, using these to inform discussions and planning.

The University’s campuses have state-of-the art facilities designed to enable improved disaster management and resilience decision support. These are used for research and scenario planning, as well as activation training for disaster response and recovery.

Griffith University has the capacity to develop resilient strategies and solutions for the interconnected priorities of PPRR and engages in research that delivers actionable outcomes for disaster management locally, nationally, regionally and globally.

Find out more

  1. Co-design evidence-based support with frontline responders, practitioners, industry and leaders
  2. Connect and collaborate with industry and academic colleagues to enable right-time right-place solutions for immediate take-up
  3. Deliver tailored decision-making to help local and regional communities successfully navigate disaster risk and consequences management
  4. Inform, share and translate research and experience to build disaster resilience

Media enquiries

Connect with us for disaster event and response media enquiries.

Our work

View all News articles

March 05, 2024

Practical tips for disaster communication with CALD communities

Griffith University’s Dr Helen Bromhead has published a useful article focussing on making warnings and alerts in disasters and emergencies more easily understood. The article is freely accessible in the Australian Journal of Emergency Management. Helen writes that everyone needs to understand warni...

September19, 2023

2023 Griffith University Disaster Management Network Showcase

Good Disaster Management and Resilience building are not single disciplines.  Success is the result of bringing together expertise from many disciplines and working collaboratively to solve complex and complicated problems. Recognising and leveraging the Interdisciplinarity of ‘disaster m...

September19, 2023

Decision support for healthy communities enhances health outcomes

Griffith University researchers are partnering with industry to address the health-related problems people face before, during and after disasters. From improving community resilience for health-related events to future proofing hospitals to be more resilient, researchers from Griffith University’s ...

September19, 2023

Innovative disaster research tackles climate change and the sustainable development goals

Griffith University researchers are taking on problem solving for disaster challenges with curiosity and compassion. Around the world including here in Queensland, many people and assets are located in areas with increasing climate-related risks (floods, bushfires etc). This is an expensive problem ...

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If you have a question about Griffith's Disaster Management Network, please get in touch.