Dr Ayse Yildiz

Dr Ayse Yildiz is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Risk at the University of Leicester. She holds a PhD in Disaster Risk Reduction from the University of Portsmouth. Prior to joining the University of Leicester, she was a lecturer at Coventry University and a guest lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. In her research, she focuses on disaster and climate risk, disaster preparedness, risk perception, disaster education, community-based disaster resilience, and risk communication. She has experience working with children and young people, as well as diverse government agencies, local teams, schools, and students from different cultures and backgrounds.

Before moving to the UK, Dr Yildiz worked at Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. As part of her role, she delivered seminars, conferences, and workshops related to disaster risk, resilience, and disaster preparedness. Her responsibilities included developing disaster education programs, training and simulation exercises for the general public, NGOs, and government agencies, as well as contributing to national disaster resilience plans. She is an editor of the forthcoming Disaster and Climate Risk Education Book along with Prof. Rajib Shaw. She has been invited as a keynote speaker and visiting scholar to share her insights with peers and practitioners. Her latest research paper was published in an ABS 4* journal.

Yildiz, A., Dickinson, J., Priego-Hernández, J., Teeuw, R. & Shaw, R. (2023) Effects of disaster education on children's risk perception and preparedness: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study. The Geographical Journal, 00, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12556

Balzter H, Macul M, Delaney B, Tansey K, Espirito-Santo F, Ofoegbu C, Petrovskii S, Forchtner B, Nicholes N, Payo E, ... Yildiz, A. (2023). Loss and Damage from Climate Change: Knowledge Gaps and Interdisciplinary Approaches. Sustainability, 15(15), 11864. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511864

Yildiz, A., Dickinson, J., Priego ‐ Hernández, J., & Teeuw, R. (2022). Children's disaster knowledge, risk perceptions, and preparedness: A cross‐country comparison in Nepal and Turkey. Risk Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13937

Yildiz, A., Teeuw, R., Dickinson, J., & Roberts, J. (2021). Children's perceptions of flood risk and preparedness: A study after the May 2018 flooding in Golcuk, Turkey. Progress in Disaster Science, 9, 100143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2021.100143

Yildiz, A., Teeuw, R., Dickinson, J., & Roberts, J. (2020). Children's earthquake preparedness and risk perception: A comparative study of two cities in Turkey, using a modified PRISM approach. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49, 101666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101666

Ayse welcomes PhD candidates interested in any research related to the following topics:

• Climate and Disaster Risk
• Disaster Risk Reduction Education
• Disaster Preparedness
• Community-based Disaster Resilience
• Risk Perception
• Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction

• Crisis Management
• Research Methods
• Dissertation Project 

• Member, Institute for Environmental Futures
• Member, Society of Risk Analysis
• Member, Avoidable Deaths Network

2023 Travel Grant for collaboration and new learning. Keio University, Japan – Amount: £1200 

2023 Visiting Fellowship Award – Institute for Environmental Futures. University of Leicester, UK – Amount: £2700

2023 Internal Seedcorn Funding. Flood risk perception, preparedness, trust and risk communication: A case study of Rize, Turkey.  University of Leicester, UK – Amount: £1800

2022 Exceptional Performance Award 2022 – Coventry University Group

2019 Ortwin Renn Student Prize for Applied Risk Research. “The role of flood experience on children’s risk perception and preparedness.” The 28th SRA Europe. Annual Meeting, Potsdam, Germany – Amount: £750

2018 Postgraduate Research Students Conference Award. University of Portsmouth, UK – Amount: £500.

2023     Yildiz, A. 2023, March. Invited speaker to Plenary Session. Children's disaster preparedness: Insights from Turkey’s recent earthquake and other case studies. Natural Hazards and Climate Change Conference. University of Szeged. Hungary

2019      Yildiz, A. 2019, June. The role of flood experience on children’s perception of risk and preparedness. “Systemic Risks: From Natural Hazards to Cyber Risks”. Europe Society of Risk Analysis, Potsdam, Germany.

2018      Yildiz, A., 2018, May. The effectiveness of disaster training centres: A case study in Bursa disaster training centre, Turkey. Poster presented at a child-centred disaster management framework for Europe, Lisbon, Portugal.

01.03.2023 Earthquake disaster in Turkey: relief, recovery and prioritising vulnerable groups - https://citizen.le.ac.uk/blog/relief-recovery-prioritising/

13.02.2023 Türkiye's earthquakes ‘destructive and terrible'- https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkiye/turkiyes-earthquakes-destructive-and-terrible-seismologist/2817474

08.03.2023 Between Hope and Fear: Afghan Women and Girls in Political Transition https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/adn-special-sessions/special-session-webinar-series-women/between-hope-and-fear-afghan-women-and-girls-in-political-transition/

01.10.2022 How Children Perceive Flooding Devastation https://omny.fm/shows/the-water-justice-podcast/turkey-floods-and-childrens-perspectives