Professor of Disaster and Development, Department of Geography / Disaster and Development Network (DDN), Northumbria University, United Kingdom
Andrew Collins is Professor of Disaster and Development at Northumbria University, UK. He leads disaster, development, health and education initiatives that engage multi-sector partnerships. Andrew entered the academic sector more fully following earlier practice based appointments that included voluntary sector working in skill sharing and leadership alongside local institutions and communities affected by war and poverty. His research developed from an early focus on environment, health and population displacement usingintegrated multi-method approachesthat lead to the award of PhD (Geography)from King’s College London in 1996, after which he gained a first full-time academic post at Sussex University. He subsequently moved to his long-standingcurrent and founding base fordisaster and development studies atNorthumbria’s Geography Department. His early researchthen progressed to leadingprojectsthat informthe theoretical, methodological and policy aspects of disaster risk reduction and response, health ecology, sustainable development, adaptive capacity and human security in contexts of complex change.Current elected positionsinclude Chair of steering group for Enhanced Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance (ELRHA) supported by UK Government, Welcome Trust and multiple humanitarian agencies, and Board Directorshipsforthe International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM), Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI) and national level group ofUK academic research institutionscommitted to these or related fields.