Joseph Trainor

Joseph Trainor is an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware (UD). He is the program director for the Disaster Science and Management degree programs and a core faculty member at the Disaster Research Center. In these roles, he conducts research, provides consultation, teaches, and mentors students.

Trainor’s work is multi-disciplinary and often uses qualitative and quantitative approaches in mixed methods projects. His studies include “basic” science, applied research, and rapid reconnaissance post-disaster fieldwork studies. Recent projects have focused on international aspects of disasters, disaster researcher and practitioner integration, warnings, risk perception, and protective action decision making for short fuse hazards, post-hurricane housing decisions, household insurance and mitigation decision, and multi-organizational response. Trainor frequently publishes and presents research findings to academic, professional, and public audiences.

As the program director of the Disaster Science and Management program, Trainor administers the master's and PhD programs. He teaches courses and advises students across disaster education at the UD and School of Public Policy and Administration programs. He also serves on key committees for these programs and for the School of Public Policy and Administration.

Finally, Trainor has international experience and has worked on projects with collaborators in India, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, and Australia.