From September 28 to October 1, 2025, the 15th Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) was successfully held on Samos Island, Greece. The conference, themed “Advancing Disaster Risk Reduction in Islands and Remote Areas,” focused on the disaster risk environment and response challenges faced by islands and peripheral regions under climate change and globalization. Scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world gathered to exchange insights on disaster risk perception, risk governance, sustainable development, and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.
Two young scholars from the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) : Associate Research Fellow Dr. Luo Xiaolong and Associate Research Fellow Dr. Li Qiushan were invited to attend the conference and delivered oral presentations.
Academic Presentations
Dr. Luo Xiaolong presented on “Understanding the Probabilities of Tropical Storm-Triggered Natech Events Based on Future Climate Scenarios.”
His talk examined the increasing risks of natural hazard-triggered technological disasters (Natech) under future climate scenarios. By integrating climate simulation data and risk assessment models, he explored the compound impacts of extreme weather events on critical infrastructure and industrial facilities. His findings offer valuable references for improving disaster chain identification and prevention in coastal and island areas.
Dr. Li Qiushan delivered a presentation titled “Integrating Heritage, Risk, and Resilience: Long-Term Reconstruction in Earthquake-Affected Rural China.”
Drawing on long-term fieldwork in the Dujiangyan Irrigation System UNESCO World Heritage Site, she proposed a decision-making framework for post-disaster recovery in historic settlements. Presentation integrates scenario planning, participatory GIS (PPGIS), and simulation modeling to explore how disaster recovery can align cultural landscape conservation with sustainability goals. Her study highlights the importance of connecting bottom-up community voices with top-down policy guidance and demonstrates how recovery processes can drive heritage protection, landscape regeneration, and long-term resilience building.
International Collaboration and Mentorship
In the domain of global academic engagement and capacity building, Dr. Li Qiushan was selected to participate in the Women in Disaster Risk Reduction Mentorship Programme and was featured in the IDRiM Annual Report as a representative early-career scholar.
Through this program, Dr. Li maintains regular academic exchanges with professor Funda Atun of the University of Twente. Their discussions focus on post-disaster recovery frameworks, sampling strategies, data acquisition, and long-term impact evaluation, with particular emphasis on developing a comprehensive forensic analysis approach for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. At the same time, Dr. Li serves as a mentor to Tlou Raphela from the University of the Free State, South Africa, meeting regularly online to discuss research design, disaster recovery practices, career development pathways, and women’s participation in the DRR field. The programme brings together female researchers worldwide to strengthen gender-informed perspectives in disaster governance and academic mentorship. It exemplifies the learning capacity, connectivity, and support extended by young scholars at IDMR, and highlights the expanding leadership of women in global disaster risk reduction.
Enhancing Global Visibility and Collaboration
The presentations by Dr. Luo and Dr. Li sparked active discussion among participants and offered fresh perspectives from China on disaster reconstruction, heritage protection, and risk governance. Their contributions helped build a valuable platform for showcasing China’s research experience and for fostering future transnational collaboration. The participation of IDMR scholars at the conference not only demonstrated the Institute’s latest achievements in disaster risk management, cultural landscape conservation, climate impact assessment, and sustainable development, but also further enhanced its academic influence in the international disaster research community.
