On February 11st, 2025, a delegation led by Professor Rajib Shaw from Keio University, Japan visited Sichuan University and held a seminar on Comprehensive Disaster Management with the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR). The seminar facilitated in-depth exchanges on topics regarding disaster recovery, community resilience, emergency response, academic collaboration, and undergraduate program development, which further advanced the cooperation between them in the field of comprehensive disaster management.
Associate Professor Bingwei TIAN, Head of the Department of Urban Safety, Health and Management, extended a warm welcome to Professor Rajib Shaw and his delegation. He introduced IDMR's research focusing on disaster management and its international cooperation experience while emphasizing the critical role of international collaboration in enhancing disaster management practices. Afterward, scholars from Professor Rajib Shaw's team shared their latest research findings.
During the meeting, Associate Professor Bingwei TIAN also discussed the rapid response mechanisms, disaster impact assessment, and community resilience building related to the Ms 6.8 earthquake in Shigatse, Tibet on January 7th, 2025. Professor Rajib Shaw's team showed strong interest and engaged in in-depth discussions on the key factors for rapid rescue, the vital role of transportation infrastructure in disaster response, and China's remarkable achievements in the field of post-disaster reconstruction.
The meeting additionally included a session dedicated to discussing the design of IDMR's undergraduate programs and potential cooperation with Keio University. Dr. Xiaolong Luo systematically introduced IDMR's undergraduate education system. Professor Rajib Shaw spoke highly of it and offered valuable suggestions. This discussion provided important insights for the future development of IDMR's talent cultivation, international exchanges, and curriculum collaboration.
Professor Rajib Shaw is an internationally well-known authority in disaster risk management, Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Disaster Science, and Chair of the United Nations Science and Technology Advisory Group (STAG) for Disaster Risk Reduction who was awarded the prestigious UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction at the Seventh Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2022. He currently serves as Professor at the Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Part-time Distinguished Foreign Professor at Sichuan University, Visiting Professor at IDMR, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan and Chairperson of SEEDS Asia (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society Asia).
