Bridging Underrepresented Disaster Scholars and National Science Foundation-Funded Resources

This project aimed to identify the barriers experienced by historically underrepresented scholars in accessing National Science Foundation (NSF)--funded hazards and disaster research infrastructure, resources, and support, as well as opportunities to dismantle barriers. This study employed qualitative, semi-structured interviews with disaster scholars with expertise in or lived experiences in diversifying the disaster and hazards research field to achieve this goal. The purpose of these informational interviews was to discuss the University of Washington RAPID Facility's proposed and ongoing efforts to broaden participation among underrepresented researchers and students, current and potential barriers to accessing the facility for URM scholars and scholars of color, and to understand the roles and actions that the RAPID facility can take to diversify participation in hazards and disaster research more broadly. Through our findings, we compiled considerations and recommendations for intentionally expanding NSF-funded resources through action-orientation approaches and targeted outreach and engagement strategies.