Double Success for CRR student Shahad Alshehri

Shahad Alshehri, a PhD student in the Centre for Risk Research (CRR), has recently received two pieces of excellent news. She has become a Public Policy Associate (PPA) for the University of Southampton and has been awarded membership of the Sustainability Training School (STS) at the University of Warwick.

The PPA Scheme aims to support the delivery of variety of UKRI funded research projects. As an Associate, Shahad will gain experience of working at the evidence-to-policy interface and in collaborating on a variety of projects with members of the Public Policy team, researchers from across the University and staff at Southampton City Council.

The University of Warwick’s newly formed STS brings together early career researchers (ECR) from 10 European universities to explore new research agendas and methods for sustainable development. As a member of STS, Shahad has already attended the first STS symposium (5th-9th June), where she presented her PhD research and worked with other ECRs to seek solutions to challenges such as earthquakes, wars and flooding. During the symposium, Shahad also worked in a team to explore the role of urban green spaces in disaster resilience. Her team, ‘The Green Guardians’, produced a project that came second out of the five projects presented.

In response to her involvement with the STS symposium, Shahad said: “It was an honour to meet such an outstanding array of experts and congenial peers. They shared their experiences from 27 countries across the world, ranging from Australia in the south to Scotland in the north. Their invaluable insights have greatly enriched my research journey, deepened my dedication to my field, and provided me with essential knowledge. I am deeply grateful for this experience and eager to apply my research to promote hospital disaster resilience as a crucial step towards building a more sustainable future.”

Shahad is currently in the second year of her PhD, working under the supervision of Dr Ian Dawson and Professor Konstantinos Katsikopoulos. Her research examines the effectiveness of risk management practices in Saudi Arabian hospitals during disasters.