Alka Sapat

Alka Sapat, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of the School of Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University. Her expertise spans disaster management, public policy, vulnerability assessment, and methodology. She leads research on disaster-induced displacement, post-disaster housing, critical infrastructure resilience, and diaspora advocacy in disaster recovery. She has contributed to NSF and DHS-funded projects, including studies on building code regulations and port recovery. Her academic work integrates interdisciplinary research with policy praxis, addressing global challenges like transboundary disasters and NGO roles in recovery.

Current research includes NSF’s RAPID grant on pandemic impacts on hurricane-prone regions and the Abacoa Foundation project on older adults’ disaster readiness. Her publications explore infrastructure interdependencies, Hurricane Irma recovery outcomes, and diaspora resource mobilization in Haiti’s disasters. She co-authored *Displaced by Disasters* (2014) and co-edited *Coming Home after Disaster* (2017).

Dr. Sapat serves on the Florida State Disaster Housing Task Force and the Governor’s Hurricane Conference committee, advocating for equitable disaster policies. Her funded projects and advisory roles highlight her focus on linking academic research to real-world policy solutions.