Nirupama Agrawal
School of Administrative Studies
Professor
Office: Atkinson College, 234
Phone: 647-923-2143
Email: nirupama@yorku.ca
Primary website: Textbook - Disaster risk management in Canada
Secondary website: Research Profile
Attached CV
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Dr. Nirupama Agrawal is a Professor and a founding faculty at York University's Disaster and Emergency Management since 2005. She has a PhD in Water Resources from Kyoto University and over 35 years of professional experience. Her wide-ranging research includes threat assessment from potential natural, intentional, and technological hazards, public safety, disaster resilience in changing climate, and the use of geospatial technologies for decision-making. Her textbook, "Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada: An Introduction," published by Springer, is one of the most used textbooks in emergency management. Dr. Agrawal is an adjunct professor at the United Nations University -Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and a Co-Director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations.
Dr. Nirupama Agrawal is a Professor and a founding faculty at York University's Disaster and Emergency Management since 2005. She has a PhD in Water Resources from Kyoto University, a master's in Hydrology from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and over 35 years of professional experience. Her wide-ranging research includes threat assessment from potential natural, intentional, and technological hazards, public safety, disaster resilience in changing climate, and the use of geospatial technologies for decision-making. She has mentored over 70 students, published over 90 refereed articles and book chapters, two books, one edited book, and co-guest-edited three Special Issues for Natural Hazards and Sustainability journals. Her Tsunami Travel Time Atlas is the first of its kind early warning resource for the Atlantic Ocean. Her textbook, "Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada: An Introduction," published by Springer, is one of the most used textbooks in emergency management. Dr. Agrawal is an adjunct professor at the United Nations University -Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and a Co-Director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations.
Degrees
Dr Eng Water Resources Engineering, Kyoto University, JapanMaster of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
MSc, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
Professional Leadership
• Working group member, Canadian Dam Association on dam safety and emergency management issues. • Editorial board member, Natural Hazards Journal, Springer. • Reviewer, grant proposals and peer reviewed journals around the world. • Advisory board, (2013-2015) on the Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise (ANDROID), Centre for Disaster Resilience, The University of Huddersfield, UK.
Community Contributions
Disaster Resilience and Security Advisory Table, Public Safety Canada, Ottawa, 2021; Founding Editorial Board Member, Canadian Journal of Emergency Management, 2020-2022; • Student engagement with Journalism class of Humber College on flood mitigation, Feb 15, 2023; Panel on ENSO El Nino Southern Oscillation, CRHNet Student Initiative, Mar 29, 2023; Engagement with Climate Crisis Connect Hub, founded by Ontario university students, Aug 23, 2021.
Research Interests
- Dean's Award for Excellence in Research - 2019
- Merit Award for Excellence in Research - 2007; 2009; 2014
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
A few key research areas are i) What are the local and sub-regional institutional capacities to prepare for, respond to and recover from large-scale extreme events? ii) What are the current arrangements and practices in multi-level and cross-sectoral institutional coordination and communication? iii) What is the current level of, and how can knowledge and practice of cultural humility and safety be improved at all pertinent institutional levels? How can the prevention and mitigation measures be improved by applying both new technologies, education and awareness, and social learning? What can we learn about the role of armed forces from other comparable countries by studying contemporary emergency cases?
https://www.cdsn-rcds.com/natural-disaster
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2025
Collaborator: Emdad Haque
Collaborator Institution: University of Manitoba
Collaborator Role: Co-Director
Funders:
DND/CDSN MINDS
-
Summary:
To explore the public perception of weather-related risk communications issued by the Meteorological Services of Canada (MSC) and their effectiveness in Ontario. To develop an effective severe weather public alerting tool based on people’s perceptions and the severity of the impacts of these events.
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2024
Collaborator: Jennifer Spinney, Eric Kennedy
Collaborator Institution: York University
Collaborator Role: Co-investigator
Funders:
SSHRC Explore
-
Summary:
The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) puts out weather-related advisories and warnings, but the uptake of the communication is quite low in communities. So, there is a keen interest among such public agencies to review and reflect on the current knowledge base, policies, practices, and tools and adopt a new future public alerting system that is simple and effective. Useful weather-related risk communication is key to alleviate the damaging impacts of extreme weather and storm events. To fulfil the need of the industry and to mitigate the devastating impacts of severe weather events, we propose to take a deep dive into understanding public perception of weather-related risks and quantifying it to identify gaps with reality. We will achieve this by engaging the public as well as experts and gauging their insights through survey questionnaires and interviews. Potential beneficiaries of the research outcome would include agencies responsible for weather warnings, emergency managers, first responders, policymakers, educators, researchers, and most importantly, the public.
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2024
Collaborator: Jennifer Spinney, Eric Kennedy
Collaborator Institution: York University
Collaborator Role: Principal Investigator
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
To offer evidence-based new insights on the risk of coronaviruses and recommendations for a paradigm shift towards adaptive strategies for multi-faceted disasters such as COVID-19. The response to COVID-19 in Canada and worldwide will be critically examined through the lens of disaster theories to support the study's outcome and validity.
- Month: Apr Year: 2021
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2023
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
A better understanding of the complex relationship between disasters and the human population is vital for bringing change in the current system of disaster and emergency management in Canada. We explored past events of select disaster types and their impact on people, the economy, and the environment since the 1900s. We set out to examine the movement of the population in disaster-prone areas in order to better understand the long-term consequences of major disasters. The aim is to advance knowledge in this area to assist practitioners in developing effective policies and measures to mitigate the adverse impact and build capacity.
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2019
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2020
Collaborator: Nathan Yiu
Funders:
York University Dean's Award for Research Excellence
-
Summary:
To better understand the complex systems at play that contribute to the frequency and severity of disasters that are induced by climate change in Canada. In a haphazardly changing climate, decision-makers need new insights into identifying underlying causes, reconciling with them, and developing effective resilience-building measures and strategies.
- Month: Apr Year: 2019
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2020
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
The research will be guided by the following questions: Why is access to environmental information important? How can such information be better managed for effective dissemination? What is the role of environmental information in public participation and decision making processes? How can environmental information be presented as a necessary component in building policy for socio-ecological resilience in India?
- Month: Apr Year: 2018
End Date:
- Month: Aug Year: 2019
Collaborator: Sabuj Choudhary
Collaborator Institution: University of Calcutta
Funders:
Shastri Mobility Programme
-
Summary:
To establish a comprehensive understanding of the effects of climate change on the Rideau Canal Skateway of Canada, the longest natural skating rink in the world.
Start Date:
- Month: May Year: 2017
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2018
Funders:
York University
-
Summary:
A new approach has been proposed to integrate quantitative and qualitative methods to estimate disaster resilience by incorporating public perception. Resilience is determined based on objective and subjective point of views and used to develop disaster risk reduction methodology.
Description:With Dr. Slobodan Simonovic as PI
Start Date:
- Month: Sep Year: 2016
End Date:
- Month: Aug Year: 2017
Funders:
NSERC CREATE ADERSIM
-
Summary:
The project has two main objectives: i) to set-up a prototype training facility which will allow students to be trained in simulation of emergencies and the on-scene response and evacuation; ii) use spatial analysis and modeling leading to effective communication for situation visualization awareness, understanding, decision making, and resource allocation.
Description:With Dr. Costas Armenakis as PI
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2012
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2014
Funders:
Academic Innovation Fund York University
-
Summary:
To assess how disaster and emergency management institutions perceive their importance in terms of Canadian society and the emergency management community. We propose to engage emergency management institutions in a survey that will provide insight into the current state of disaster and emergency management in Canada and answer questions such as: are there issues within the system that affect disaster management? Are the majority of emergency managers satisfied with their institution’s mandate and performance? Is the level of education and training of emergency managers adequate? If not, is there a demand to acquire higher education and/or training? Is there disconnect between policy decisions, research and practice?
Description:With Prof. David Etkin as Co-PI.
Start Date:
- Month: Jul Year: 2008
End Date:
- Month: Jun Year: 2010
Funders:
SSHRC
Approach to Teaching
Courses taught: GS/DEMS 5040 Natural Disasters (current) GS/DEMS 5080 Disaster & Emergency Management Practicum (current) GS/DEMS 5081 Applied Topics in DEM (2012) GS/DEMS 5053 Topics in Business Continuity (2011) GS/DEMS 5050 Qualitative Research Methods in Disaster Management (2007) AP/DEMS 4708 Seminar in Disaster & Emergency Management (current) AP/DEMS 3701 Disaster Risk Management (2005-2017) AP/DEMS 3703 Business Continuity Planning (2007-2010)
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | GS/DEMS5080 6.0 | M | Disaster &Emergency Management Practicum | PRAC |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/DEMS5040 3.0 | A | Natural Hazards | ONLN |
Dr. Nirupama Agrawal is a Professor and a founding faculty at York University's Disaster and Emergency Management since 2005. She has a PhD in Water Resources from Kyoto University and over 35 years of professional experience. Her wide-ranging research includes threat assessment from potential natural, intentional, and technological hazards, public safety, disaster resilience in changing climate, and the use of geospatial technologies for decision-making. Her textbook, "Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada: An Introduction," published by Springer, is one of the most used textbooks in emergency management. Dr. Agrawal is an adjunct professor at the United Nations University -Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and a Co-Director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations.
Dr. Nirupama Agrawal is a Professor and a founding faculty at York University's Disaster and Emergency Management since 2005. She has a PhD in Water Resources from Kyoto University, a master's in Hydrology from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and over 35 years of professional experience. Her wide-ranging research includes threat assessment from potential natural, intentional, and technological hazards, public safety, disaster resilience in changing climate, and the use of geospatial technologies for decision-making. She has mentored over 70 students, published over 90 refereed articles and book chapters, two books, one edited book, and co-guest-edited three Special Issues for Natural Hazards and Sustainability journals. Her Tsunami Travel Time Atlas is the first of its kind early warning resource for the Atlantic Ocean. Her textbook, "Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada: An Introduction," published by Springer, is one of the most used textbooks in emergency management. Dr. Agrawal is an adjunct professor at the United Nations University -Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and a Co-Director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations.
Degrees
Dr Eng Water Resources Engineering, Kyoto University, JapanMaster of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
MSc, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
Professional Leadership
• Working group member, Canadian Dam Association on dam safety and emergency management issues. • Editorial board member, Natural Hazards Journal, Springer. • Reviewer, grant proposals and peer reviewed journals around the world. • Advisory board, (2013-2015) on the Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise (ANDROID), Centre for Disaster Resilience, The University of Huddersfield, UK.
Community Contributions
Disaster Resilience and Security Advisory Table, Public Safety Canada, Ottawa, 2021; Founding Editorial Board Member, Canadian Journal of Emergency Management, 2020-2022; • Student engagement with Journalism class of Humber College on flood mitigation, Feb 15, 2023; Panel on ENSO El Nino Southern Oscillation, CRHNet Student Initiative, Mar 29, 2023; Engagement with Climate Crisis Connect Hub, founded by Ontario university students, Aug 23, 2021.
Research Interests
Awards
- Dean's Award for Excellence in Research - 2019
- Merit Award for Excellence in Research - 2007; 2009; 2014
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
A few key research areas are i) What are the local and sub-regional institutional capacities to prepare for, respond to and recover from large-scale extreme events? ii) What are the current arrangements and practices in multi-level and cross-sectoral institutional coordination and communication? iii) What is the current level of, and how can knowledge and practice of cultural humility and safety be improved at all pertinent institutional levels? How can the prevention and mitigation measures be improved by applying both new technologies, education and awareness, and social learning? What can we learn about the role of armed forces from other comparable countries by studying contemporary emergency cases?
Project Type: FundedRole: Co-Investigator
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2025
Collaborator: Emdad Haque
Collaborator Institution: University of Manitoba
Collaborator Role: Co-Director
Funders:
DND/CDSN MINDS
-
Summary:
To explore the public perception of weather-related risk communications issued by the Meteorological Services of Canada (MSC) and their effectiveness in Ontario. To develop an effective severe weather public alerting tool based on people’s perceptions and the severity of the impacts of these events.
Project Type: FundedStart Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2024
Collaborator: Jennifer Spinney, Eric Kennedy
Collaborator Institution: York University
Collaborator Role: Co-investigator
Funders:
SSHRC Explore
-
Summary:
The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) puts out weather-related advisories and warnings, but the uptake of the communication is quite low in communities. So, there is a keen interest among such public agencies to review and reflect on the current knowledge base, policies, practices, and tools and adopt a new future public alerting system that is simple and effective. Useful weather-related risk communication is key to alleviate the damaging impacts of extreme weather and storm events. To fulfil the need of the industry and to mitigate the devastating impacts of severe weather events, we propose to take a deep dive into understanding public perception of weather-related risks and quantifying it to identify gaps with reality. We will achieve this by engaging the public as well as experts and gauging their insights through survey questionnaires and interviews. Potential beneficiaries of the research outcome would include agencies responsible for weather warnings, emergency managers, first responders, policymakers, educators, researchers, and most importantly, the public.
Project Type: FundedStart Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2022
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2024
Collaborator: Jennifer Spinney, Eric Kennedy
Collaborator Institution: York University
Collaborator Role: Principal Investigator
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
To offer evidence-based new insights on the risk of coronaviruses and recommendations for a paradigm shift towards adaptive strategies for multi-faceted disasters such as COVID-19. The response to COVID-19 in Canada and worldwide will be critically examined through the lens of disaster theories to support the study's outcome and validity.
Project Type: FundedStart Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2021
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2023
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
A better understanding of the complex relationship between disasters and the human population is vital for bringing change in the current system of disaster and emergency management in Canada. We explored past events of select disaster types and their impact on people, the economy, and the environment since the 1900s. We set out to examine the movement of the population in disaster-prone areas in order to better understand the long-term consequences of major disasters. The aim is to advance knowledge in this area to assist practitioners in developing effective policies and measures to mitigate the adverse impact and build capacity.
Project Type: FundedRole: Faculty Supervisor
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2019
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2020
Collaborator: Nathan Yiu
Funders:
York University Dean's Award for Research Excellence
-
Summary:
To better understand the complex systems at play that contribute to the frequency and severity of disasters that are induced by climate change in Canada. In a haphazardly changing climate, decision-makers need new insights into identifying underlying causes, reconciling with them, and developing effective resilience-building measures and strategies.
Project Type: FundedStart Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2019
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2020
Funders:
York University Minor Research Grant
-
Summary:
The research will be guided by the following questions: Why is access to environmental information important? How can such information be better managed for effective dissemination? What is the role of environmental information in public participation and decision making processes? How can environmental information be presented as a necessary component in building policy for socio-ecological resilience in India?
Project Type: FundedStart Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2018
End Date:
- Month: Aug Year: 2019
Collaborator: Sabuj Choudhary
Collaborator Institution: University of Calcutta
Funders:
Shastri Mobility Programme
-
Summary:
To establish a comprehensive understanding of the effects of climate change on the Rideau Canal Skateway of Canada, the longest natural skating rink in the world.
Project Type: FundedRole: PI
Start Date:
- Month: May Year: 2017
End Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2018
Funders:
York University
-
Summary:
A new approach has been proposed to integrate quantitative and qualitative methods to estimate disaster resilience by incorporating public perception. Resilience is determined based on objective and subjective point of views and used to develop disaster risk reduction methodology.
Description:With Dr. Slobodan Simonovic as PI
Project Type: FundedRole: co-PI
Start Date:
- Month: Sep Year: 2016
End Date:
- Month: Aug Year: 2017
Funders:
NSERC CREATE ADERSIM
-
Summary:
The project has two main objectives: i) to set-up a prototype training facility which will allow students to be trained in simulation of emergencies and the on-scene response and evacuation; ii) use spatial analysis and modeling leading to effective communication for situation visualization awareness, understanding, decision making, and resource allocation.
Description:With Dr. Costas Armenakis as PI
Project Type: FundedRole: Co-PI
Start Date:
- Month: Apr Year: 2012
End Date:
- Month: Mar Year: 2014
Funders:
Academic Innovation Fund York University
-
Summary:
To assess how disaster and emergency management institutions perceive their importance in terms of Canadian society and the emergency management community. We propose to engage emergency management institutions in a survey that will provide insight into the current state of disaster and emergency management in Canada and answer questions such as: are there issues within the system that affect disaster management? Are the majority of emergency managers satisfied with their institution’s mandate and performance? Is the level of education and training of emergency managers adequate? If not, is there a demand to acquire higher education and/or training? Is there disconnect between policy decisions, research and practice?
Description:With Prof. David Etkin as Co-PI.
Project Type: FundedRole: PI
Start Date:
- Month: Jul Year: 2008
End Date:
- Month: Jun Year: 2010
Funders:
SSHRC
All Publications
Approach to Teaching
Courses taught: GS/DEMS 5040 Natural Disasters (current) GS/DEMS 5080 Disaster & Emergency Management Practicum (current) GS/DEMS 5081 Applied Topics in DEM (2012) GS/DEMS 5053 Topics in Business Continuity (2011) GS/DEMS 5050 Qualitative Research Methods in Disaster Management (2007) AP/DEMS 4708 Seminar in Disaster & Emergency Management (current) AP/DEMS 3701 Disaster Risk Management (2005-2017) AP/DEMS 3703 Business Continuity Planning (2007-2010)
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | GS/DEMS5080 6.0 | M | Disaster &Emergency Management Practicum | PRAC |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/DEMS5040 3.0 | A | Natural Hazards | ONLN |
