[11/25] The Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR) is pleased to announce the appointment of four new Co-Directors for three year terms, who joined the Institute’s leadership team in August / September 2025. Together, they bring a wealth of interdisciplinary expertise spanning forecasting and decision sciences, environmental change, quantitative modelling, and the philosophy of science—further strengthening the IHRR’s mission.
Dr Caroline Clason, Associate Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography at Durham University, and Co-Director of the IHRR, specialises in glacier and ice sheet hydrology, water security in glacier-fed catchments, accumulation and release of contaminants in glacial environments, and glacier-related hazards. Her research spans more than 15 years in glaciology and physical geography. Dr Clason’s work emphasises collaboration, citizen science and art-science partnerships, engaging marginalised communities and co-producing knowledge on environmental change and resilience. With her focus on glacierised regions and climate-hazard impacts, she brings to the IHRR a strong interest in societal vulnerability, justice and adaptation in high-mountain and cold-region systems.
Dr Hailiang Du, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Durham University, and Co-Director of the IHRR, specialises in machine learning, uncertainty quantification, data assimilation, nonlinear time-series analysis, predictive modelling for weather, climate, and energy systems. His work has explored the evaluation of probabilistic forecasts and the calibration of complex energy- and climate-modelling systems. Hailiang DU | Professor (Associate) | Durham University, Durham | DU | Department of Mathematical Sciences | Research profile. Dr Du’s interdisciplinary research supports IHRR’s commitment to data-driven hazard and risk analysis and the development of quantitative decision-support tools under uncertainty.
Dr Greg Lusk, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University and Co-Director of the IHRR, is an environmental philosopher of science whose research examines how scientific information—particularly in climate science—is produced, interpreted and used in policy, public discourse and decision-making. He is an Associate Editor at The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. His work offers critical perspectives on the relationships between science, values, policy and society, which aligns closely with IHRR’s goal of bridging rigorous scholarship and societal relevance in hazard, risk, and resilience research.
Professor Kostas Nikolopoulos is Professor of Business Information Systems & Analytics and Associate Dean (Internationalisation) at Durham University Business School (DUBS) and Co-Director of the IHRR. He holds the Chair in Business Information Systems & Analytics at DUBS. His research interests include forecasting, behavioural operations, analytics, foresight and information systems. He studied Electrical & Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (Dipl. Eng. 1997) and earned his D.Eng. in 2002. Professor Nikolopoulos is Department Editor of the Oxford IMA Journal of Management Mathematics and Associate Editor of Supply Chain Forum. With extensive experience in strategic research leadership and global collaboration, he will play a key role in enhancing IHRR’s international engagement, partnerships and impact.
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