Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga

In 2024/2025, I was ranked 1^st in the UK as a Highly Ranked Scholar™ in the field of the Built Environment  by the 2024 ScholarGPS Global Rankings. Since 2020, I have been among the Top 2% of the global influential scientists, by Elsevier BV, Netherlands and Stanford University, USA. In 2024, I was identified as a “ Distinguished Woman Researcher” by the CIB. I have sustained impact with over 16,000 Google Scholar citations, one of the highest in the social sciences/built environment field.  I have been identified as one of the six “top-flight scientists and technologists of global repute” of Sri Lankan origin by the Sri Lanka National Science Foundation (NSF), the premier national institution in Sri Lanka. My achievements have been further recognised via several awards I have received.

Since 2014, together with my team, I have secured over 30 external research grants with 288 international partners in 57 countries, with a grant value in excess of £30m. Via my projects,  I have promoted resilience of the built environment as a key ingredient of sustainable development.I  have a very strong international reputation in the  field, have been appointed as Advisor to several International agencies, received a large number of invitations to deliver keynotes, and to lead international panels.

Current research activity

• Framework to assess Readiness for Resilient and Inclusive Recovery project funded by UNDRR
• CORE(sCience & human factOr for Resilient sociEty) - to develop a harmonised vision of crisis management to help restructure and rebuild socio-economic structures after a disaster
• 20 years after - then and now. An explorative study of the status of communities relocated in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Sri Lanka
• INCLUDE - Disability inclusive higher education for DRR in Indonesia, aimed at strengthening disability inclusion in DRR by promoting equal access and opportunity for learners with disabilities
• International Network "Connect4Resilience" - Disaster Research, Climate Crisis & Social Work
• Establish and support the growth of a Research Institute on Resilient Societies
• Raising awareness and understanding of nature-inspired solutions (NIS) for DRR (DRR)
• Mimicking the natural hydrological processes using green and blue infrastructure to enhance flood resilience within the existing urban environment
• An investigation of the applicability of biomimicry concepts in social enterprises’ resilience
• TREMS - Industrial transformation research hub research network for the transformation of reclaimed waste resources to engineered materials and solutions

Successfully completed projects (since 2021)

• BEACON (Built Environment leArning for Climate adaptation). Aimed aimed to develop trans-disciplinary and innovative research-based learning in the built environment to tackle climate change in coastal regions
• Strengthening University-Enterprise Collaboration for Resilient Communities in Asia (SECRA).
• Embedding COVID-19 preparedness into local DRR
• Research Training Network on Tackling Climate Change as an Underlying Disaster Risk Driver (CCA-DRR)
• Integrating pandemic preparedness and DRR to protect economic assets and people in the 'new normal' for the Greater Bandung Metropolitan area of Indonesia
• Community engagement on public health emergencies in the context of multi-hazards in Sri Lanka
• An exploratory study into nature-inspired solutions for DRR in coastal regions
• Newton Prize project - Developing and harmonising local capacities for tsunami early warning.
• Improving COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness and response through the downstream of multi-hazard early warning systems
• Integrating pandemic, tsunami and other multi-hazard preparedness into early warning and urban planning
• Mitigating hydro-meteorological hazard impacts through transboundary river management in the Ciliwong River basin
• CRESCENDO (Community Resilience Engaging Society, Culture, and ENvironment against Disaster Outcomes)
• Enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure: bridges, culverts and floodways.
• Life two years after relocation: Status quo of natural hazard induced displacements and resettlements

• Malalgoda, Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R., Nissanka, S., Fernando, N., Paul Borg, R. & Hamza, M. (Ed.) (2025), Climate Change Adaptation in the Built Environment - Transdisciplinary and Innovative Learning, Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-75826-3 
• Dissanayake, R., Jayasinghe, G., Setunge, S., Amaratunga, D., Gunawrdana, L. & Gajanayake, P. (2024) (Ed.) University Industry Partnerships for Sustainable Development. Proceedings of Technology Transfer Book Series. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-5944-6
• Pattiaratchi, C., Amaratunga, D. & Senaratne, R., (eds) (2024), Tsunami Science in Sri Lanka,University of Western Australia, Australia: ISBN 978-0-646-87928-4
• Hamza, M., Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R., Malalgoda, C.,Jayakody, C., & Senanayake, A. (Eds.) (2023). Rebuilding Communities After Displacement: Sustainable and Resilience Approaches. Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-21414-1#:~:text=This%20book%20presents%20a%20collection,not%20only%20a%20humanitarian%20concern
• Perera, S., Chan, A., Amaratunga, D., Hastak, M., Lombardi, P., Senaratne, S., Jin, X., and Sawhney, A. (Ed.) (2023). Advances in Construction and Project Management, Volume I: Construction and Project Management, mdpi.com/topics , ISBN 978-3-0365-7634-3 (hardback); ISBN 978-3-0365-7635-0 (PDF), https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-7635-0. MDPI Books
• Perera, S., Chan, A., Amaratunga, D., Hastak, M., Lombardi, P., Senaratne, S., Jin, X., and Sawhney, A. (Ed.) (2023). Advances in Construction and Project Management, Volume II: Construction and Digitalisation, ISBN 978-3-0365-7636-7 (hardback); ISBN 978-3-0365-7637-4 (PDF), https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-7637-4. MDPI Books
• Perera, S., Chan, A., Amaratunga, D., Hastak, M., Lombardi, P., Senaratne, S., Jin, X., and Sawhney, A. (Ed.) (2023). Advances in Construction and Project Management, Volume III: Industrialisation, Sustainability, Resilience and Health & Safety,  ISBN 978-3-0365-7638-1 (hardback); ISBN 978-3-0365-7639-8 (PDF), https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-7639-8
• Perera, S., Chan, A., Amaratunga, D., Hastak, M., Lombardi, P., Senaratne, S., Jin, X., and Sawhney, A. (Ed.) (2023). Article collection in Advances in Construction and Project Management, participating Journals: Applied Sciences, Automation, Buildings, informatics, Safety, Substantiality. https://www.mdpi.com/topics/Construction_Management#
• Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R. & Dias, N. (Ed.) (2021), Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Disaster Risks; Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73003-1, eBook ISBN 978-3-030-73003-1
• Senaratne, R., Amaratunga, D., Mendis, S. & Athukorala, P. (eds) (2021), COVID-19: Impact, Mitigation, Opportunities and Building Resilience “From Adversity to Serendipity”, Perspectives of global relevance based on research, experience and successes in combating COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, Vol. 1, National Science 

• Postgraduate research

• Masters dissertation supervison

I have demonstrated a sustained record of success in securing competitive research funding and conducting world-leading and rigorous research. Since 2014, I have successfully secured 34 research grants totalling over £30 millionm, and  have received research funding from 20 funders. The extent of the research income and the network of my research collaborations significantly exceed the norms for my discipline.  Since 2014, I have worked with 323 international organisations in 67 countries. My outstanding international research profile is further evidenced by the number of invitations I received to deliver keynote speeches, and I’ve ade over 100 keynote speeches in around 40 countries. I’ve up to date 62 PhD completions.

During my career, I have had an extensive track record of management roles and have provided leadership to help shape the strategic direction of my workplace.   From 2014 to 2024,  I was the Head of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre at the University of Huddersfield, UK.  From 2015 to 2021, I led tits first REF 2021 Unit of Assessment 13 on Architecture, Built Environment and Planning. From 2009 to 2014, I was the Associate Dean for International at the and the Head of Disaster Research at the University of Salford, UK. I was also its Director of PGR studies from 2002 to 2007. I have also been leading key international academic conferences. In 2018, I was the Royal Academy of Engineering Conference Co-chair of the GCRF-funded “Inclusive Prosperity and Wellbeing in the Context of Mass Displacement International Symposium” held in Kigali, Rwanda.

I provide expert advice on disaster resilience to national and local governments and international agencies, including the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). I am a member of the UNDRR’s European Science & Technology Advisory Group, Member of the UNDRR Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) Committee, was elected as an expert member of the  UN Women’s, “Women’s Resilience to Disasters programme”, and since 2018, I have been an appointed expert on Tsunami Risk, Community Awareness & Preparedness of the  IOC-UNESCO, Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS).  

Professional affiliations

• 2020     Fellow & Chartered Manager, Chartered Management Institute, UK
• 2020     Fellow - Royal Geographical Society, UK
• 2016     Fellow - The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK
• 2008      Member - The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK
• 2007     Fellow – The Higher Education Academy, UK (Advance HE)        
• 2003     Member – The Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Awards and Honours

• 2025 - Ranked 1^st in the UK as a Highly Ranked Scholar in the field of the Built Environment and 10^th globally,  by the 2024 ScholarGPS Global Rankings 
• 2024 - Top 2% of Global Scientists in World’s Critical Science Disciplines in 2023, 2022 and 2021, recognised for career-long impact and is placed among the global top 2% of influential scientists, based on the report of “Composite Citation Metrics” by Elsevier BV, Netherlands and Stanford University, USA
• 2024 - Have been shortlisted and is a finalist for The Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2024 in the UK, recognising  the extraordinary achievements of women of Asian origin in the UK
• 2023 - Award Winner 2023 Kindness & Leadership, 50 Leading Lights in the UK, supported by KPMG, seeks to shine a great big spotlight on leaders who are impacting others through kindness
• 2023 - Identified by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) as a Distinguished Woman Researcher in the Built Environment
• 2022 - Identified as one of the six “top-flight scientists and technologists of global repute” of Sri Lankan origin. Sri Lanka National Science Foundation (NSF), the premier national institution in Sri Lanka mandated to promote R&D and scientific literacy for the socio-economic development
• 2022 - Recipient of the Best PhD supervisor of the Year 2022 Award, School of Applied Sciences. University of Huddersfield, UK
• 2020 - Winner of the Prestigious 2019Newton  Newton Prize is supported by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Newton Fund and the GCRF
• 2018 - Received the “His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Award” from His Excellency, Maithreepala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka, for the contribution to Disaster Resilience in Sri Lanka, 23^rd August 2018
• 2018 - Winner of the UALL International Award 2018 for CADRE (Collaborative Action towards Disaster Resilience Education): An innovative partnership that created change in an international context
• 2014 - Winner of the President’s Awards for Scientific Publication – for the paper “Post disaster C&D debris management: A Sri Lanka Case Study” published in the Journal of Civil Engineering and Management 2022  - Best Paper Award, A Conceptual Framework to Understand the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Mechanism in Communication Management, 2022 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference
• 2013 -  Runners up of Guardian University Awards 2013 - “International Strategy Category
• 2012 - Shortlisted and was a finalist - International Collaboration of the Year –Initiative on Conflict Prevention through Infrastructure Reconstruction. THE AWARDS
• A large number of Best Paper and Poster Awards since 1998, including Emerald Literati Award for the Best Research Paper published in 2001
• 1997 - Overseas Research Students Award (ORS): awarded by the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principles of Universities in the UK (CVCP) for outstanding academic excellence and research potential
• 1993, 1992, 1991 and 1990 - University of Moratuwa Award, Highest Average at the B.Sc. Hons. Quantity Surveying Degree programme, 1^st to 4^th year examinations

External Activities

• Appointed Steering Committee Member of the UNDRR (United Nations Office for DRR) 2025 World Resilient Recovery
• UK Home Office Science Advisory Council Pool of Experts
• Steering Committee member of the UNDRR regional consultations on the Priority Actions to Enhance Readiness for Resilient Recovery and reconstruction
• Member of the Task Force on “Resilience in the Construction Industry”, Global Leadership Forum for Construction Engineering and Management Programmes
• Member of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) Regional Coordination Committee for Europe
• Member of the European Commission and UNDRR European Science & Technology Advisory Group (E-STAG)
• Joint Editor in Chief, International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. Published by Emerald Publishing, UK
• Steering Committee Member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR)
• Expert member of the ICG/IOTWMS WG-1 on Tsunami Risk, Community Awareness & Preparedness of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS)
• Appointed Expert, Capacity Assessment Task Team of Tsunami Preparedness of the IOTWMS Member States, led by IOC UNESCO
• Advisory Council Member of Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC)
• Appointed Expert of UN Women - Women's Resilience to Disasters Programme
• Steering Committee Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Frontiersof Development programme
• Principal Liaison Point - UK, of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Sri Lanka Initiative
• Expert and Advisor, Strengthening Urban Resilience, and Responding to Extreme Weather Events. World Bank and the Ministry of Emergency Management, China 
• Appointed topic editor, Enhancing Resilience in Complex Systems: Transdisciplinary and Systems Approaches to Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban Development, Frontiers in Built Environment
• Member of the Board of Advisors,Article 25
• International Expert,Ministry of Disaster Management, Sri Lanka
• International Faculty. Sri Lanka Medical Association
• Member of the Advisory Board, Federation of Local Governments Authorities Sri Lanka
• Member of the Advisory Committee of the Association of Disaster Risk Management Professionals of Sri Lanka
• Member of the UNDRR Global Risk Assessment Framework Working Group (GRAF) on Risk Communication
• Invited to many international Panel leadership/moderator roles, a panellist of international panels
• Invited to many Workshop/Session leaderships, facilitator roles and invited speaker roles at international seminars, workshops and other events

Key collaborators

Since 2014, I have collaborated with 323 research partners in 67 countries.  They include high-level external organisations, including the UN, Governments and regional bodies such as the IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group, and universities across all the continents of the world.

North America

• Canada, USA

Central/South America

• Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador

Europe

• Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova , Portugal, Malta, Russia , Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

South Asia

• Bangladesh, India Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka

East Asia

• China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Philippines , Thailand, Republic of Korea, Singapore

Oceania

• Australia, New Zealand

Collaborators (International)

• APP - Regional dialog of Asian Preparedness Partnership
• Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management
• CIB - The International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (Conseil International du Bâtiment)
• Commonwealth Association of Planners
• E-STAG - European Science & Technology Advisory Group of UNDRR
• GADRI - Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes
• Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
• Global Leadership Forum for Construction Engineering and Management Programmes
• International Geographical Union Commission on Hazard and Risk International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• International Network for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (IN-MHEWS)
• International Recovery Platform (IRP)
• IOC-UNESCO, ICG/IOTWMS - The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System
• IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature
• MCR 2030 - Making cities Resilient 2030, UNDRR Network of European Academies of Science
• OECD - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Resilient Cities Network
• The European Commission Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), Brussels, Belgium
• The Resilience Shift - the global hub for resilience best practice
• The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Geneva, Switzerland
• The United Nations World Food Programme
• UNDRR - The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
• WMO