Disaster recovery team cleaning up rubble

Bringing together excellence in research and teaching

Preparing for the emergency front line

Conflict and disasters afflict some of the most vulnerable populations on earth, and wreak havoc on societies. Prevention, and timely and effective responses are necessary to save lives and preserve infrastructure, and to promote socio-economic recovery and build resilience. 

Our research focuses on drivers of these risks, whilst our education activities prepare professionals and organisations to better respond and promote resilience, seeking solutions with governmental and non-governmental organisations, and with commercial and military collaborators. The scale of disaster response frequently requires the coordination of military and civil expertise.

Within the synergistic fields of defence, risk and resilience the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú has a world class profile, with research expertise in key areas such as global governance, geopolitical conflicts, risk mapping and monitoring, peace, security and deterrence, AI and autonomy, ethics, risk management, disaster response, and organisational and community resilience. CEDRR incorporates our expertise in these fields into one Centre of Excellence, providing a focal point, coordination, and an incubator for future initiatives.

CEDRR can offer:

  • Access to degree programmes and bespoke training courses
  • Support for new product development and innovation
  • Trials and testing support and advice
  • Reviews and assessments
  • Collaboration in research and innovation projects with access to world-leading experts in their fields
  • Support for business growth, management and leadership training
  • Consultancy services
  • And much more…

Contact us

Email: CEDRR@port.ac.uk


Education Services

We have a long track record in providing relevant education services, we welcome applications from a variety of backgrounds, including those from the military, first responders and resilience practitioners. We offer degrees, short courses and bespoke executive education, either on campus in discrete blocks of teaching, online at your convenience, or via distance learning or Learning at Work. Many of our programmes are also accredited. 

Recognition of Prior Learning

At ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú, our students can receive academic credit for Recognised Prior Learning on most of our courses, including those serving and former services personnel. RPL can be acquired in previous study, employment, voluntary work and training courses, reducing the total length of studies. We are also an accredited MOD education provider accepting ELCAS credits which greatly reduce the cost to individual students.

Find out more

Disaster recovery team cleaning up rubble

Partnerships

  • Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum
  • South Central Regional Defence and Security Cluster(DASA-sponsored)
  • SimEx: our annual disaster response simulation exercise
  • UN World Food Programme
  • Royal Air Force
  • Royal Navy
  • Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration
  • Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
  • London Fire Brigade
  • Oil Spill Response Ltd
  • Technical Rescue International Ltd
  • Helyx Secure Information Systems Ltd
  • Institute of Search and Technical Rescue
  • ServeOn Search and Rescue

Impact

Explore the impact our research is having on defence, risk and resilience. From using satellite imagery to fight crime and using drones in disaster responses.


Recent publications

2025

Corbett, J., Costello, J. T., Gould, A. A. M., Lee, B. J., Myers, F. A., Stevens, C. E., Tipton, M. J., Walker, E. F., Williams, T. B., Young, J. S.

17 Jan 2025, In: Journal of Applied Physiology

Bainbridge, G., Blowers, S., Felton, M., Fraser, K., Harper, C. M., Harper, J. C., Heather, M., Hingley, S., McGrath, E., Shawe, J., Stidson, R., Tipton, M.

14 Jan 2025, In: Lifestyle Medicine. 6, 1, p. 1-16, 16p., e70009

2024

Lovell, H., Mo, Y., Pepin, N.

26 Dec 2024, In: Remote Sensing of Environment. 318, 19p., 114574

Lazell, M., Petrikova, I.

9 Dec 2024, In: International Affairs, 14p.

Benson, P., Elsworth, D., Gan, Q., Ma, Y., Wang, M., Wang, T., Wang, X., Yan, C.

1 Dec 2024, In: Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources. 10, 1, 22p., 71

Allard, S., Bailey, S. J., Belcher, H., Corbett, J., Cummings, M., Eglin, C., James, T. J., Perissiou, M., Piccolo, D. D., Saynor, Z. L., Shepherd, A. I., Tipton, M.

1 Dec 2024, In: Journal of Thermal Biology. 126, 10p., 104017

Akehurst, L., Hanway, P., Hope, L., Vernham, Z.

27 Nov 2024, In: Applied Cognitive Psychology. 38, 6, 9p., e70011

Barton, C. A., Morgan, P., Tipton, M. J.

20 Nov 2024, In: BMJ Military Health, e002855

Hodson, A. J., HÃ¥kansson, L., Lovell, H., Mannerfelt, E. S.

14 Nov 2024, In: Arctic Science, 19p.

Crepaldi, F., Davila-Ross, M., Dezecache, G., Proops, L., Rocque, F.

6 Nov 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 12p., 26921


Recent funded projects

  • Guiding readers to a greater understanding of autonomous vehicles, including those that operate in the air, on land, on the water, and underwater.

  • Creating a Trustworthy Robotic Autonomous Drone System to support Battlefield Casualty Triage.

  • A soil mapping project that informs environmental management and climate change mitigation in the British Virgin Islands.

  • Exploring the impact of Covid19 in developing countries and good practice guidelines for disaster risk reduction.

  • Developed the Virtual Control Room (VCR), a novel and robust system using AI that can provide a situational picture in the Arctic Ocean region.

  • Helping the the Arctic and North-Atlantic (ANA) region cope with security and safety threats as a result of increased commercial activity in the region.

  • A satellite enabled digital insurance ecosystem for small-hold farmers in Colombia.

  • Understanding Mental Health and Moral Injury in UK Military Chaplains.

  • Using satellite data to assist climate change resilience in Pacific Small Island Developing States.

  • UK Space Agency, Training Programme

    Providing data and AI training to military and first responders.

Rubble pile from natural disaster

Project highlights


 

Our members

Sara Eileen Bertin Hadleigh-Dunn Portrait

Media ready expert

Professor Sara Hadleigh-Dunn

Professor of Risk and Organisational Resilience

sara.hadleigh-dunn@port.ac.uk

Strategy Enterprise and Innovation

Faculty of Business and Law

PhD Supervisor

Read more
Peter Lee Portrait

Professor Peter Lee

Interim Associate Dean (Research)

Professor of Applied Ethics

peter.lee@port.ac.uk

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Read more
Catherine Michelle Juchau Portrait

Dr Michelle Juchau

Associate Dean (Students)

Michelle.Juchau@port.ac.uk

Read more

Dr Fionnuala Rose

  • Research and Innovation Development Manager
  • fionnuala.rose@port.ac.uk
  • Innovation Space 
  • Research and Innovation Services

PhD research students

  • Toby Meredith (2023-2027) – SOS! Investigating the use of drones for sea border surveillance of migratory routes to post-Brexit UK: Frameworks, experiences and policies. - funded by the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership. (Supervisors: Siklodi, Lee & Greatbatch).
  • Mykyta Saveliev (2023-2026) – Enterprise Risk Management in SMEs in Ukraine: Utilising High Reliability Theory to Improve Crisis Resilience (supervisors: Hadleigh-Dunn,  Labib and Niekrasova/Odessa National Polytechnic University).
  • Andy Webb: (2023-2026) – Preparing aviators for their robotic future: assessing organisational change to accommodate human factors when introducing AI and autonomous systems (supervisors: Shakir, Lee and Labib).
  • Harold Chadwick (2022-2025)  â€“ Measuring the potential Impact of an Integrated CANZUK Whole of Government Disaster Response (supervisors: Teeuw, Solana and Morris).
  • Rozene Smith – Lethal autonomous weapon systems and the violation of human dignity.


Related courses

Explore our courses in defence, risk and resilience.

Discover ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú Military Education

Delivered through a bespoke combination of online material which includes, videos, podcasts and interactive packages and in-person teaching, the ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú Military Education Team delivers Professional Military Education to the Royal Air Force as part of its second successive long-term contract with the RAF to design and deliver education packages.

Discover what we do 


CEDRR news, events and blogs

Blogs

putin

Introducing the Oreshnik missile: Vladimir Putin’s not-so-secret weapon

Matthew Powell

Introducing the Oreshnik missile: Vladimir Putin’s not-so-secret weapon
army

The return of Trump means Britain must rethink its defence strategy – and role in the world

Frank Ledwidge

The return of Trump means Britain must rethink its defence strategy – and role in the world
Two people discussing notes, one holding a pen and pointing at the notebook on a white table

As Lachlan Murdoch takes over from his father he may need to reset News Corp’s relations with Donald Trump

As Lachlan Murdoch takes over from his father he may need to reset News Corp’s relations with Donald Trump
Illustration of president Xi Jinping and Trump shaking hands - Photo by Jack Hunter on Unsplash

Joe Biden to meet with Xi Jinping – what a good result looks like for the US president

Joe Biden to meet with Xi Jinping – what a good result looks like for the US president
Two soldiers sitting down against a wall - Photo by Specna Arms on Unsplash

What the Israel Defence Forces can expect when they enter the ‘Gaza Metro’ tunnel system

What the Israel Defence Forces can expect when they enter the ‘Gaza Metro’ tunnel system

News

Colonel in the Army Reserve and joins the British Army General Staff

Rising up the ranks – University lecturer to become Colonel in the British army

25 October 2024

Rising up the ranks – University lecturer to become Colonel in the British army
Election Bunting hung over a street in the Philippines

Election violence in the Philippines

8 October 2021

Election violence in the Philippines