معرفی
Kristi Nero (born January 25, 1973) is a Junior Research Fellow in Crisis Sociology at the University of Tartu's Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Social Studies. She holds a fractional appointment (0.50) from September 2025 to August 2026, following previous appointments at 0.30 (October 2024-August 2025) and 1.00 (November 2022-September 2024) fractions. She is concurrently pursuing her PhD at the same institution.
Her educational background includes an MA in Social Sciences (cum laude, 2015) from the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences and an MA in Law (cum laude, 2006) from University Nord. She previously worked as a lawyer at Abertson OÜ (2012-2019) and the Estonian National Opera (2007-2012).
Nero's research focuses on risk and crisis sociology, disaster management, and social vulnerability, particularly examining marginalized populations during crises. Her work explores how vulnerable groups experience and respond to disasters, with significant emphasis on the social dimensions of pandemic response. She investigates the role of social care organizations as intermediaries between authorities and marginalized communities, analyzing social capital dynamics during crises, and developing frameworks for vulnerability assessment and disaster planning.
Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research combining sociology, public health, and disaster management, with particular attention to the differential impacts of crises on vulnerable populations. She has developed innovative frameworks for social vulnerability analysis and crisis response planning that integrate scenario-based approaches.
- Development of crisis vulnerability, future crises and interventions to enhance societal preparedness (2024-2027, €649,785)
- Innovating Preparedness by Leveraging SYNERGIES and Enhancing Results of DRM Projects (2023-2026, €341,000)
- A science-based future view of the rescue network (2023-2024, €95,760)
Nero collaborates extensively with Kati Orru as principal investigator on multiple European Commission and Estonian Rescue Services Agency-funded projects. Her work bridges academic research with practical crisis management applications, focusing particularly on how social care organizations maintain support for vulnerable populations during disasters. She is actively involved in creating tools and frameworks that enhance societal preparedness through better understanding of social vulnerability.