Researchers Meeting Acknowledgements

The Natural Hazards Center and CONVERGE teams and the leadership of the International Sociological Association Research Committee on Disasters (ISA-RC39) are pleased to convene the 2025 Researchers Meeting. We are grateful to all those who are attending this year’s meeting.

Special Thanks

The Natural Hazards Center, CONVERGE, and the ISA-RC39 wish to offer special thanks to the following people and organizations.

  • Rodrigo Costa and Alyssa Provencio, who agreed to serve as chairs of this year’s Researchers Meeting Organizing Committee. This is their second year in this important leadership role, which is gratefully acknowledged. This time, as with last, they led the planning process with great focus and expertise, and the entire research community is stronger for their service.

  • Kyle Breen and Kristopher Young served as lead session organizers for the second year in a row. They played an integral role in pulling the entire program together. For the first time, Jennifer Lawrence stepped in to lead the roundtable organization process.

  • Santina Contreras, Dontá Council, Oronde Drakes, Erica Gralla, Kanako Iuchi, Melina Matos, Alexis Merdjanoff, Jason Rivera, Peter Stempel, Jennifer Trivedi, and Chandler Wilkins served as members of the Abstract Review Committee. These talented scholars read, evaluated, and edited hundreds of abstracts and helped the lead organizers to assemble an extraordinary final program.

  • We thank the student volunteers, who applied and were selected to help with the management and execution of the Researchers Meeting.

  • On February 7, 2025, Clarie Rubin turned 85 years old. In honor of her birthday, her friends and family members made contributions to the Natural Hazards Center’s general fund. These generous gifts covered the registration fees and meal expenses for this year's student volunteers. Claire's vision, and the generosity of her loved ones, is gratefully acknowledged.

  • Finally, we thank the program directors from the National Science Foundation who support science, engineering, and interdisciplinary research efforts in hazards and disasters. We remain grateful for their support and recognition of the importance of convening the research community so we can share our recent findings and advance the hazards and disaster field.

Funding Support


The 2025 Researchers Meeting is made possible with funding support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) (Award #1841338 and Award #1635593). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this meeting are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.