I presently both work and study in the field of risk management - everything from occupational safety and health through to business continuity and civil contingency planning. I conduct freelance research and consultancy work as and have just received a place on the Post Grad. Cert. in Natural Hazards for Insurers at Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre at University College London. I am also involved in various voluntary projects both in the UK and US and focus my attention through various outlets on issues such as:

· the promotion of GIS as a currently under-utilised toolkit for emergency management,
· natural hazard awareness for children, business continuity promotion for small to medium size enterprises (SME's),
· interoperability of technological and soft systems across jurisdictional boundaries in emergency response,
· the development of an entry level syllabus to provide an academic starting point or a standalone course to increase general awareness in the U.K. to those that have emergency planning responsibilities within the remit of their position but do not come from a conventional emergency planning standpoint.

One observation I have made throughout the course of my work is that all too often we neglect to take the macro look at these issues. Many parties examine in detail from their institutional perspective, but neglect somewhat to relate their findings to the wider picture. The contemporary hazards we face today have influence on every facet of society and without further collaboration and study of these interrelations we cannot adequately quantify the true cost and/or put the effectiveness of our management into context. Above all it is my firm belief that increased communication and awareness equals effectiveness in disaster issues.

Transportation Contingency Planning and Operational Planning (Highways)

Business Continuity Management (BCM) within Highways/Engineering Consultancy

Designated as the Incident Analyst for a study into Large Goods Vehicle Involvement in Incidents at Roadworks on behalf of the Highways Consultancy Group (HCG) and Highways Research Group (HRG). Involves identifying the factors which contribute to incidents at roadworks involving LGVs and reviewing existing LGV incident reduction measures highlighting usage, costs benefits, problems on delivery risk and successes

To examine these topics, James’ PhD, entitled “Flood-Risk Mapping: Geographies of Risk Assessment, Communication and Planning”, will chart the intricate networks of flood scientists, modellers, and planners involved in the formation and currency given to the Flood Map. Funding for this research was provided by the ESRC. James is also interested in how tacit understandings, knowledge and judgements are embodied in science and technology.