Centre for Research in Natural Hazards and Risk Reduction (CHaRR)

Interdisciplinary research for a resilient future

Centre for Research in Natural Hazards and Risk Reduction (CHaRR)

Interdisciplinary research for a resilient future

The Centre for Research in Natural Hazards and Risk Reduction (CHaRR) brings together researchers from across the University to tackle outstanding questions in hazard science, risk and reduction, thus contributing to the targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Natural hazards cause billions of dollars of damage, significantly effect people's lives, and can have long-term negative environmental effects. Climate change, population growth and urbanisation exacerbate events, and increasingly devastating cascading and multihazard sequences result in unexpected chains of events.

Understanding, mitigating and responding to natural hazard events therefore requires multi-disciplinary approaches to effect change. Plymouth has a strong track record in hazard science, geoscience communication and risk and resilience, engaging with government, industry and communities locally and globally. This new centre will tackle critical hazard-related research challenges by bringing together experts from science, engineering and social sciences to foster innovation and interdisciplinarity.

I am excited to be leading this new research centre that brings together experts in hazard and risk with diverse expertise.

The world is facing unprecedented challenges in this area and interdisciplinarity gives us the tools to tackle these pressing issues.

Professor Sarah Boulton
Director of CHaRR and Professor of Geohazards

Research themes

Geophysical hazards

Photo of an active fault, with the city of L’Aquila in the background valley

Quake4D

Uniting geology, physics and computer modelling to develop new approaches to understanding and calculating earthquake hazard

EXCESS

The role of excess topography and peak ground acceleration on earthquake preconditioning of landslides

Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)

How do ice sheets affect turbidity currents and organic carbon cycling?

Meterological hazards

Himalayan river with rocks, mountains and people hiking on the bank

SUPERSLUG

Deconstructing sediment superslugs as a legacy of extreme flows

ARISE

Natural adaptation of atoll islands to sea-level rise offering opportunities for ongoing human occupation

Waves hitting the coastline of Westward Ho!

Gravel barrier resilience in a changing climate

Increasing our understanding of gravel barrier dynamics to develop practical management tools

"Geophysical hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, and meteorological hazards such as floods and extreme storms, are daily realities for millions of people around the world. Understanding and mitigating hazards is critical for protecting infrastructure and lives."

Research team

Professor Sarah Boulton

Professor of Geohazards

Director of CHaRR
Dr Zoe Mildon

Associate Professor in Earth Sciences
Professor Gerd Masselink

Professor of Coastal Geomorphology
Dr Matt Westoby

Associate Professor of Physical Geography
Dr Paul Cole

Associate Professor of Volcanology
Professor Iain Stewart MBE

Professor of Geoscience Communication, Sustainable Earth Institute
Dr Simon Dickinson

Lecturer in Geohazards and Risk
Professor Anne Mather

Professor in Geomorphology
Professor Alison Raby

Professor in Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Dr Jenny Gales

Associate Professor in Hydrography and Ocean Exploration
Dr Martin Stokes

Deputy Head of School
Dr Suryodoy Ghoshal

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Landscape Evolution Modelling
Miss Qiuyang Chen

Researcher
Miss Amy Beswick

Research Assistant
Mrs Carrie Park

Research Assistant
Mr Matthew Cleave
Storm Roberts

Teaching and Support Assistant
Miss Hope Adams
Mrs Rima Gusriana Harahap
Miss Maddie Pike
Mr Ahmed Waheed