DeeDee Bennett Gayle

DeeDee M. Bennett Gayle, PhD is an associate professor and chair of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She is also the lead director of the Extreme Events, Social Equity, and Technology Lab. Her research broadly examines the influence and integration of advanced technologies on the practice of emergency management, and for use by vulnerable populations.  

Bennett Gayle has led several research grants and contracts as Principal Investigator (PI), or Co-PI (over $4 million), including from the National Science Foundation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. With over 60 publications, her work has been published in various journals and conferences related to emergency management, disability, wireless technology, and future studies. She is co-editor of the Palgrave Studies in Disaster Science and Emergency Management book series, co-author of the book Empowered or Left Behind: The Use of Technology During COVID-19 and co-editor of the edited book volume Social Vulnerability to COVID-19: Impacts of Technology Adoption and Information Behavior. 

Bennett Gayle’s work has been used in the formation of policy. She has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging regarding disaster planning for people with disabilities and older adults, as well as presented in town halls for the New York State Assembly members regarding COVID. In 2023, she was selected as one of the 2023 Ocean Decade Champions by the National Science Foundation and the Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation for research on marginalized populations.