David Sanderson

Professor David Sanderson is the Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), leading the Institute for Global Development. He holds concurrent roles as Collaborating Professor at Universitat de Catalunya and Technical Expert at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. With 30 years of global experience in development and emergencies, his expertise spans urban disaster resilience, humanitarian aid, and emergency housing for displaced communities. His career includes roles at CARE International UK, Director of CENDEP (Oxford Brookes University), and Visiting Professorships at Harvard and NTNU.

Education: PhD in Urban Livelihoods and Vulnerability, MSc in Development Practice, and architecture qualifications. External roles include board memberships at Norwegian Refugee Council and steering committees for initiatives like the Global Alliance for Urban Crises (GAUC). His research focuses on urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, and inclusive recovery strategies in conflict and climate-affected regions.

Research Interests include: urban disaster recovery frameworks, participatory approaches in humanitarian response, and addressing socio-economic exclusion through resilient infrastructure. His work emphasizes dignity-centered recovery and cross-sector collaboration, informed by field experiences in Haiti, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Pacific.

Publications highlight principles for urban humanitarian response, corruption in disaster contexts, and area-based recovery strategies. Notable outputs include the 2016 IFRC World Disasters Report and the 2019 Urban Humanitarian Response Review. Current projects involve bushfire recovery in Australia and resilience planning in Pacific island nations.

Grants and collaborations include funding from Qatar Foundation, DFID, USAID, and UN agencies. He co-edits PLoS Currents: Disasters and advises on global initiatives like the Humanitarian Innovation Fund.