BIO

Susan Cutter
Susan Cutter is a Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of South Carolina. She is also the Director of the Hazards Research Lab, a research and training center that integrates geographical information science with hazards analysis and management. She received her B.A. from California State University, and M.A. and Ph.D. (1976) from the University of Chicago. Dr. Cutter has been working in the risk and hazards fields for more than twenty-five years and is a nationally recognized scholar in this field. Her primary research interests are in the area of vulnerability science—what makes people and the places where they live vulnerable to extreme events and how this is measured and monitored. She has authored or edited eleven books and more than 75 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Dr. Cutter is also the co-founding editor of an interdisciplinary journal, Environmental Hazards. In 1999, Dr. Cutter was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a testimonial to her research accomplishments in the field. Her stature within the discipline of geography was recognized by her election as President of the Association of American Geographers in 1999-2000. She serves on many national advisory boards and committees including those of National Research Council.