Mary M. Nelan

Mary Nelan is an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science at the University of North Texas. She earned her PhD in Sociology in 2016 at the University of Delaware, where she worked as a research assistant at the Disaster Research Center.

Nelan’s interest in disasters began during a response volunteer trip to Haiti in May 2010, where she assisted with recovery after the January Earthquake. Her research focuses on Convergence Behavior in the aftermath of disaster events. Specifically, she studies disaster donations, volunteers, and therapeutic communities that emerge following disasters.

Her research has been published in the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, and Natural Hazards Review.