Dr Anna Hicks
Anna Hicks’ biography
- 2016 – ongoing: Volcanologist – Development and Disaster Risk Reduction
- 2015 – 2016: Postdoctoral Researcher – Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA) research project
- 2012 – 2015: Senior Research Associate – Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA) research project, University of East Anglia
- 2012 – 2012: Expedition Staff (lecturer), Oceanwide Expeditions, Southern Oceans
- 2008 – 2012: Ph.D ‘An interdisciplinary approach to volcanic risk reduction under conditions of uncertainty: a case study of Tristan da Cunha’, University of East Anglia
- 2005 – 2008: Assistant Producer/Project Executive/PA to Agency Director: ON Communication, Oxfordshire
- 2004 – 2005: MSc Science Media Communication, Imperial College
- 2001 – 2004: BSc Geology with Science Communication, Royal Holloway, University of London
Research interests
- Interdisciplinary approaches to risk reduction (via integration of physical, social and decision sciences)
- Citizen Science
- Science/Risk communication (particularly via film)
- Media Production
- Scenario planning
- Public Understanding of Science
- Expert elicitation
- 40Ar/39Ar geochronology
Current projects and collaboration
- 2020 – 2022: “Landscapes of the Mind”. Funded by the AHRC Research Networking call on Changing Landscapes: Towards a new Decision Making Framework for UK Landscapes and Land Assets
- 2013 – ongoing: Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA)
- 2016 – 2017: Harnessing ‘citizen science’ to reinforce resilience to environmental disasters: creating an evidence base and community of practice. Funded by a GCRF Resilience Foundation Award.
- 2016 – 2017: VolFilm: multilingual and multi-platform films for increasing resilience to risks from volcanic hazards. Funded by the GFDRR/DfID Challenge Fund.
- 2014 – 2018: Timing is everything – Leverhulme-funded research into the volcanic history of Ascension Island with the University of East Anglia, Durham University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
Published outputs
Hicks, A, et al. 2019. Global mapping of citizen science for disaster risk reduction. Frontiers in Earth Science. https://10.3389/feart.2019.00226
Barclay, J, Few, R, Armijos, T, Phillips, J, Pyle, D, Hicks, A, et al. 2019. Livelihoods, wellbeing and the risk to life during volcanic eruptions. Frontiers in Earth Science. https://10.3389/feart.2019.00205
Monteil, C, Simmons, P, and Hicks, A. 2019. Post-disaster recovery and sociocultural change: rethinking social capital development for the new social fabric. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Sargeant, S, Hicks, A, Sammonds, P, and Sword-Daniels, V. 2018. Science for resilience: the UK’s Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards Research Programme. UNISDR GAR Report 19
Phillips, J, Barclay, J, Armijos, M T, Few, R, and Hicks, A. 2018. Dynamic and Extensive Risk Arising from Volcanic Ash Impacts on Agriculture https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/66547. Contributing Paper to the UN Global Assessment Report 2019.
Hicks, A, et al. 2017. Risk Communication Films: Process, Product and Potential for Improving Preparedness and Behaviour Change. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.04.015
Armijos, T, Phillips, J, Wilkinson, E, Barclay, J, Hicks, A, et al. 2017. Adapting to changes in volcanic behaviour: Formal and informal interactions for enhanced risk management at Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador. Global Environmental Change 45 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.06.002
Hicks, A, and Few, R. 2015. Trajectories of social vulnerability during the Soufriere Hills volcanic crisis: Journal of Applied Volcanology, 4:10 doi:10.1186/s13617-015-0029-7.
Hicks, A, et al. 2015. Open Report: Volcanic Hazard Assessment & Risk Reduction on Tristan da Cunha (prepared for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
Hicks, A, Barclay, J, Simmons, P, and Loughlin, S. 2014. An interdisciplinary approach to volcanic risk reduction: a case study of Tristan da Cunha: Natural Hazards & Earth Systems Science, 14, p. 1871-1887, doi:10.5194/nhess-14-1871-2014
Hicks, A, Barclay, J, Mark, D, and Loughlin, S. 2012. Tristan da Cunha: constraining eruptive behaviour using the 40Ar/39Ar dating technique: Geology, 40(8): 723-726, doi: 10.1130/G33059.1.