Daniel Aldrich

Daniel Aldrich is a Dean's Professor of Resilience and Director of the Resilience Studies Program at Northeastern University, affiliated with the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and Political Science Department. His career spans decades of research on disaster resilience, social capital, and post-crisis recovery, with fieldwork across Japan, India, and Africa.

• Education: PhD and MA in Political Science from Harvard University, MA from UC Berkeley, BA from UNC Chapel Hill.
• Leadership: Co-Director of Global Resilience Institute, Board member of journals Asian Politics and Policy and Risk Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy.

Research Focus centers on social capital's role in disasters, controversial facility siting, and countering violent extremism. His work reveals how community networks enhance survival rates during tsunamis, hurricanes, and pandemics, and how decentralized decision-making improves recovery.

Scientific Contributions include groundbreaking studies on Fukushima nuclear policy, social ties in evacuation behavior, and resilience through rainwater harvesting. His 2019 book Black Wave analyzes Japan's 3/11 disasters.

• Grants: NSF, Fulbright, Abe Foundation, Rasmussen Foundation, Japan Foundation.
• Awards: TIER 1 NEU Award, AAAS Fellowship, NSF Research Center Grant, University Faculty Scholar (Purdue).

Media Engagement spans New York Times, CNN, AP, Reuters, and NPR, with over 50 media appearances in 2025 alone. He consults for the New England Aquarium and Louisiana Coastal Protection Authority.