Mark Pelling

Mark Pelling is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Geography within the School of Global Affairs at King's College London. He is also a Professor of Risk and Disaster Reduction at University College London, with previous academic roles at the University of Liverpool and the University of Guyana.

• Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report and Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters (SREX)
• Member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Stockholm Environment Institute
• Chair of the Centre for Integrated Research on Risk and Resilience
• Resilience Challenge Lead at UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund

His research focuses on the social and institutional dimensions of disaster risk reduction, adaptation to climate change, and urban political ecology. He investigates how institutions and social relationships shape vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly those linked to climate change, and examines the interplay of development values and practices in building resilience and enabling transformation.

Mark’s recent work has centered on advancing proactive, egalitarian risk reduction agendas, with a strong emphasis on urban resilience and climate change adaptation. His contributions to the IPCC reports highlight his role in shaping global climate policy and disaster management strategies.

He collaborates with practitioner organizations to address environmental change and has been involved in significant initiatives such as the Urban Disaster Risk Hub (awarded £20m with the University of Edinburgh) and the Future Earth Risk Knowledge Action Network. His current secondment to UKRI underscores his leadership in global resilience challenges.