UCL IRDR Careers and Opportunities Fair 2022

Talks and Q&A: 5–6pm, AV Hill Lecture Theatre, Medical Sciences Building

This section will include speakers from the commercial, public, academic, and NGO sectors whose organisations have roles and interests in the area of risk and disaster reduction. They will all introduce details of the risk and disaster related opportunities and roles available in their sector, the specific opportunities in their company, and offer advice on how to be the best candidate for these opportunities. The speakers will all be available to answer questions from the audience. 

David Munroe, Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Cabinet Office

David graduated from Durham University after undertaking a degree in Earth Sciences. This was then followed by a Masters in Hazard and Risk within the Institute of Hazards, Risk and Resilience also at Durham University. After working as an Environmental Engineer for 2 years he switched in to the resilience sector and was lucky enough to get an entry level job as an Emergency Planner at the City of Edinburgh Council. Here he stayed working on a large array of risks affecting the city for almost 4 years. David then moved on to London Fire Brigade, also as an Emergency Planner, and was involved in responding and recovering from the Croydon Tram Crash, Westminster and London Bridges and Parsons Green Terror Attacks as well as the Grenfell Tower Fire. In May 2018 David then took the opportunity to move over to the Civil Contingencies Secretariat within the Cabinet Office, where today he works within the Readiness and Response Team providing the frontline horizon scanning function and coordination of response to emergencies affecting the UK and UK interests abroad across government. 

Nikki Herwanger, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), Lead Editor, International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

Nikki is IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), Lead Editor. In this role she coordinates DTM research and analytic output quality assurance processes, working with DTM regional and country offices across the globe. As Lead Editor, Nikki also co-leads the DTM Analytics Knowledge and Output Quality Unit of the Global DTM team which is responsible for developing global level analytic frameworks, exploring the analytic potential of DTM data with external research partners, and supporting country offices with data analysis and reporting. Prior to joining the Global DTM team in 2020 Nikki was the DTM Coordinator and Information Management Officer in Ethiopia where she led countrywide DTM data collection activities, working with UN, NGO, INGO and Government counterparts to inform data driven humanitarian and development programming in the country.

Natalie Van Eck and Emma Lewington, AIR Worldwide 

Natalie van Eck has worked in the London Market in Catastrophe Modelling since 2011, following a BSc in Physical Geography at the University of Reading, and an MSc in Geophysical Hazards at UCL. She has worked at two Syndicates, initially as a junior Treaty Catastrophe Modeller and in her previous role at a different company as the Catastrophe Modelling Manager. She has also worked at a Reinsurance Broker as a Senior Catastrophe Analyst and led the annual catastrophe modelling for Central Eastern European clients. She started her current role as Manager within the Client and Consulting team (Extreme Event Solutions) at Verisk in August 2021. 

Emma Lewington completed her undergraduate degree in Physical Geography, undertook an MSc in Polar and Alpine Change and a PhD in Glaciology at the University of Sheffield,  which she completed in summer 2020. For the following nine months, she worked as a Research Assistant within the Geography Department at the University of Sheffield before starting her current role as a Research Associate in the Research team (Extreme Event Solutions) at Verisk in June 2021. 

Dave Carter, UCL Careers Consultant

Dave has a background in professional financial services, commercial operations and advertising account management at global corporates including KPMG, OgilvyOne and Grey Worldwide.  He has 10+ years of experience coaching students and alumni at UCL, SOAS and Birkbeck and is the Founder of eCareersGrad – a video-based, elearning interview and Consulting Case course provider. 

Dave will share details of where students have ended up after their postgraduate studies at UCL IRDR, in terms of their roles, employers, or further study. He will offer insights into the job market and highlight the most relevant ways that UCL careers can support IRDR students. 

Caroline Zastiral, British Red Cross 

Caroline is Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Action Advisor, International Directorate, British Red Cross. She has been working with the British Red Cross based in London since 2016, supporting Red Cross National Societies around the world and the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent with programmes, guidance and training in the area of disaster risk reduction as well as anticipatory action. Before joining the Red Cross, Caroline was based in Asia for 10 years and worked as programme manager with Plan International, UNDP and the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI). Caroline is a German national and studied International Relations at the University of Southern California (B.A.) and European studies at the Westphalian University of Muenster and University Twente (M.A & MSc.) 

Exhibitor stalls: 6–8pm, South Cloisters, Main Building

This event will include exhibitors from commercial organisations, international NGOs, the public sector, and academia. They will present and discuss job opportunities in their organisations, as well as volunteering and internship opportunities, and postgraduate study.

Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS), Cabinet Office

The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) exists to improve the UK's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disruptive challenges. It does so by focusing on risk, from identification through planning and capability building to response and crisis management. It is part of the Cabinet Office, sitting at the centre of government and coordinating and supporting the work of all government departments and agencies.

CCS works to improve the resilience of the UK's Critical National Infrastructure and to support departments and local authorities in preparing for and mitigating against risks that could affect their sectors or communities. It also enhances the government's crisis response capabilities, including the management of COBR.

CCS reports to Cabinet Office Ministers but also directly to No.10 on a wider range of civil emergencies, including when the Prime Minister is in the chair of COBR. CCS also owns the Emergency Planning College based in York, which is the UK’s premier resilience training facility for domestic and International partners..

role. Recent joiners have included academics in the fields of behavioural analysis and natural disaster management, engineers, and humanitarian specialists, as well as a wide range of policy experts from across the Civil Service. If you are interested in finding out more about opportunities to work in CCS, please look out for posts advertised on Civil Service Jobs (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi) or contact ccspact@cabinetoffice.gov.uk for current vacancies. 

UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction Postgraduate programmes

The UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction offers MSc, MRes, PGDip, PGCert and PhD programmes in:

• Risk and Disaster Reduction
• Risk Disaster and Resilience
• Risk and Disaster Science

Details of these programmes can be found on our graduate study webpages.

Further information on all of our courses will be available at our recruitment stall, along with the chance to ask questions of our academic staff and current students

International Organisation for Migration - IOM

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. 

IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. 

Careers 

Being a member of the IOM team requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. As an international organisation with a global mandate, IOM also aims to maintain an equitable geographical balance among its staff. As such, its recruitment efforts target, but are not necessarily limited to, nationals of its Member States. IOM is an equal opportunity employer and seeks committed professionals with a wide variety of skills in the field of migration. IOM staff work in multi-cultural environments, in which diversity and cultural sensitivity are valued. 

AIR Worldwide

AIR Worldwide (AIR) provides risk modeling solutions that make individuals, businesses, and society more resilient to extreme events. In 1987, AIR Worldwide founded the catastrophe modeling industry and today models the risk from natural catastrophes, terrorism, pandemics, casualty catastrophes, and cyber attacks, globally. Insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on AIR’s advanced science, software, and consulting services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, site-specific engineering analyses, and agricultural risk management. AIR Worldwide, a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business, is headquartered in Boston with additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com.

All open positions are posted here: Careers at Verisk (smartrecruiters.com), including an open position for a Risk Consultant and a Research Associate, and over the next few months a summer intern position will open up in the CCSG team. 

British Red Cross

The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We help vulnerable people in the UK and abroad prepare for, withstand and recover from emergencies in their own communities. The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is the largest  humanitarian organisation globally, recognised through the Geneva Conventions as auxiliary to public authorities. 

UCL Careers Service

UCL Careers Consultant Dave Carter, who works with students in departments across the MAPS Faculty, will be available to answer questions on how the UCL Careers Service can support students in making the most of their UCL PG degree to advance on their chosen career path 

Further exhibitor details will be added here as soon as they become available.

Please note UCL has current guidelines for keeping safe on campus, which include wearing a face covering. Please read and take a lateral flow test before attending in person. If you feel unwell, please do not attend.