Daniel Curtis

Dr. Daniel Curtis is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam. He holds a BA from the University of York, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from Utrecht University. His research focuses on the long-term societal impacts of epidemics, hazards, and disasters, particularly their intersection with social inequalities. He explores how societies interpret and cope with crises, developing frameworks to explain why structural change often remains minimal despite high mortality rates.

Dr. Curtis has authored over 40 peer-reviewed articles and three books, including Disasters and History (CUP, open access) and Epidemics and the Cinema (Routledge). His work bridges history with contemporary challenges, emphasizing lessons for modern disaster management. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and actively advises students on environmental hazards, diseases, and long-term societal development.

His research spans medieval to early modern periods, analyzing disease patterns, rural development, and cinematic depictions of epidemics. Recent publications highlight the sex-selective impacts of plagues, the role of cinema in visualizing epidemics, and interdisciplinary approaches to disaster studies. His work frequently engages with methodological debates about using historical data and narratives to understand vulnerability and resilience in past societies.