A distinguished career in disaster management, climate and information management research and the use of social media for crisis response has prepared Prof Deborah Bunker for the challenge as new Chief Science Officer at Natural Hazards Research Australia.
Prof Bunker joins the Centre from the University of Sydney. She started on 12 September and is based at the Centre’s Sydney node.
CEO Andrew Gissing welcomes Prof Bunker to the team.
“It is a great privilege for us to have Deb joining the Centre. With her experience and insights into our sector, we look forward to her working with our partners to ensure our research will be useful, of high quality and targeted to make a difference for communities,” Andrew said.
The Centre’s Senior Communications Officer, Bethany Patch, spoke to Prof Bunker about the new role.
BP: Why is the new role of Chief Science Officer important to you?
DB: Practitioners, the community and researchers are able to combine their experiences and knowledge to develop and implement powerful solutions to what seem like intractable problems. I see this role as critical to the support and facilitation of this unified effort.
BP: What is your research background and how has this prepared you for the new role?
DB: My social science research training and experience has been focused on the development and use of systems and information in government and disaster and emergency management for more than 30 years. This experience and knowledge will help me support, facilitate and foster the necessary connections within the community, practice and research that are a prerequisite for co-created, practical and useful solutions.
BP: What do you see as the key priorities for natural hazards research in Australia, especially over the next 12 months?
DB: The way that governments, their agencies, non-government organisations, businesses, communities and individuals can work together to either reduce, respond to or transform from a hazard remains a major global challenge if we’re going to ensure a sustainable future for all of us. Ultimately is it the Centre’s partners that will guide ongoing natural hazard research priorities, so it will depend on what they need moving forward. I would add that we are at a stage in the development of technology that should allow us to better respond to and solve 'big problems'. However, we also need to address key social issues to apply these technologies more effectively.
The Chief Science Officer position was recruited as a critical new role to drive the Centre’s future research direction, portfolio and programs. Prof Bunker will work closely with the executive leadership team, Centre staff and research partners to help develop research that meets the needs of partners and communities.