Title: Behavioural biases – understanding barriers to optimal decision-making for risk reduction and resilience. Speaker: Professor Joanna Faure Walker (University College London)
Date & Time: Friday, 27 November 2026, 12:00-14:00
Location: Building 54, Room 10037 (10B), Highfield Campus
As part of the Programme for Interdisciplinary Resilience Studies Guest Speaker Series, we have invited Professor Joanna Faure Walker to host a PIRS seminar, Behavioural biases – understanding barriers to optimal decision-making for risk reduction and resilience, on Friday, the 27th of November 2026, from 12:00 to 14:00. The talk will be held in Building 54, Room 10037 (10B) on Highfield Campus.
Abstract: Professor Joanna Faure Walker is Head of the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction and Professor of Earthquake Geology and Disaster Risk Reduction. Her research examines how risks are understood, assessed, and acted upon, spanning earthquake hazards, disaster risk reduction, resilience, and decision-making under uncertainty. Drawing on perspectives from Earth sciences, insurance, and the social sciences, her work has improved understanding of earthquake hazard, informed hazard and risk assessment methodologies, and provided evidence to support disaster preparedness, evacuation, shelter, recovery, and resilience planning in a range of international contexts.
Before joining academia, Joanna worked as a catastrophe risk analyst at Risk Management Solutions (now Moody’s). She has led major educational and strategic initiatives at UCL, supervised postgraduate researchers who now hold academic and industry positions, and secured research funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), NERC the British Council, and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. She serves as Deputy Chair of the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement Advisory Group for Disasters, Risk and Humanitarian Studies and is a member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR) Steering Committee. Joanna is a regular commentator on earthquakes and disaster risk for major international media including Reuters, the BBC, and the Financial Times.
Please fill out this form to register for the event
Refreshments will be provided. This is also reflected in the PIRS Calendar on SharePoint
We look forward to seeing you there!