Hosted at the University of California, Riverside campus, this day-long conference will explore the interplay between academic research, public policy and emergency management and the impact of these interactions on human and environmental resilience.
Co-Sponsored by the UCR:
- Blum Initiative on Global and Regional Poverty
- Center for Ideas and Society
- College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
- School of Public Policy
KEYNOTE SPEAKER BIO
Dr. Maria Dillard is a Research Social Scientist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Community Resilience Group. Previously, she was a Social Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science. Maria has PhD in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh with a focus on the measurement of social-ecological resilience for coastal and island communities. Maria is adjunct faculty at the College of Charleston.
Maria has more than ten years of experience in social science research within academic and applied settings. This experience includes interdisciplinary research for federal agencies – the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Additionally, Maria has professional experience in community engagement through positions focused on communications, public education, and community outreach for environmental, healthcare, and social issues.
Maria’s research is focused on community response to hazards and chronic stressors and the development of methods for measurement and modeling community resilience, well-being, and vulnerability as a means of strengthening the ability of communities to respond to and plan for natural and technological events. Her work includes development and application of a measurement model for community well-being following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, integrated assessments of community vulnerability to climate change for climate adaptation planning, and quantification of human use and dependence on natural resources. In her current role, Maria will expand NIST’s research on community resilience with a particular emphasis on the social dimensions of disasters and recovery.