Welcome to the website for Carmine Galasso's research group

I am a Professor of Catastrophe Risk Engineering at University College London (UCL), UK, based in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE). In addition to my academic role, I serve as the department's Research Director, and I am part of CEGE’s Executive Management Team, working alongside the Head of Department and Director of Studies to shape strategic research initiatives and overall academic direction of CEGE. 

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Since October 2025, I have held the position of Vice-Dean (Research) for UCL’s Faculty of Engineering Sciences, following a year as Deputy Vice-Dean (Research). In this faculty-wide leadership role, I am part of the Faculty Management Team, working with the Dean and senior colleagues to shape and deliver the Faculty’s research strategy, ensuring alignment with UCL’s broader institutional vision. My responsibilities span the development of major research themes, the coordination of REF2029 planning and submission, and the oversight of research capital needs, new centres, and emerging institutes. I also collaborate closely with the Faculty Graduate Tutor on matters relating to postgraduate research students and with the Faculty Director of Operations on the professional service infrastructure that underpins research activity. My work brings together academic leadership, strategic planning, and the creation of research environments that support excellence, innovation, and long-term impact. A key priority of my role is to foster a positive, inclusive, and forward‑looking research culture—one that supports collaboration, nurtures talent, and enables researchers and research‑enabling staff (e.g., technical staff) at all career stages, particularly early‑career researchers, to thrive.

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Before joining UCL, I worked as a Catastrophe Risk Modeller at Applied Insurance Research (AIR) Worldwide (now Verisk), San Francisco, USA, and as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Performance-based Earthquake Engineering Laboratory, at the University of California, Irvine, USA. I earned my PhD in Earthquake Risk at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, in January 2011.

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My research focuses on developing and applying probabilistic and statistical methods for catastrophe risk modelling and disaster risk reduction. I investigate risks to building portfolios and infrastructure exposed to multiple natural hazards, including earthquakes, typhoons, and floods, as well as the impacts of climate change on those hazards. Much of my work centres on buildings and community infrastructure—such as schools, hospitals, and heritage assets—in developing countries, where vulnerabilities are often greatest, and the need for evidence‑based risk reduction is most urgent.

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I am one of the founders and co-lead the DE|RISC Lab: Disaster Engineering  for  ResIlient SoCieties Laboratory at UCL with Dr Gemma Cremen and Dr Roberto Gentile, working at the intersection of civil engineering and other disciplines to facilitate multi-hazard risk- and resilience-informed decision-making for a better tomorrow’s world. Our ultimate goal is to provide society with a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable built environment.

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My research is supported by a range of funding bodies, including UK Research and Innovation and its Research Councils, the European Commission, the British Council, the Chinese International Centre for Collaborative Research on Disaster Risk Reduction (ICCR-DRR), the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the (Mexican) Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), the World Bank and its  Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Motorola Solution Foundation, and the Willis Research Network, among others. 

​I strive to create a lab that welcomes, supports, values, and includes people of diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives! [OUR VALUES]