Founding Director

Henry W. Fischer, is a retired Professor of Sociology, Retired Director of the Center for Disaster Research & Education (CDRE), Editor of UnScheduled Events, Editor of International Journal of Contemporary Disaster Review, Web Host for the International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters, Program Coordinator for both the Master of Science in Emergency Management as well as the Multi-Disciplinary Minor in Environmental Hazards & Emergency Management. His research specialty, for more than 20 years, is in behavioral and organizational response to disasters and terrorism - for example, NSF grants supported work in south Asia after the 2004 tsunami and the U.S. Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina. His body of work includes the presentation of more than three dozen papers at professional conferences around the world, the publication of more than two dozen scholarly journal articles, three books, two monographs, various consulting projects, e.g., Research Planning, Inc. (Department of Defense), TOPOFF2. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and radio programs in the U.S. and Canada. His PhD in Sociology was earned at the University of Delaware; he is a member of the American Sociological Association, the International Sociological Association, and the International Research Committee on Disasters.