Co-Risk Labs

Investigated how disaster risk management professionals can dismantle technological inequities in their practice, to empower community-led crisis response

Traditional disaster risk management (DRM) often operates on technocratic models that can overlook local contexts, ethical considerations, and community agency. This frequently results in interventions that are ineffective or exacerbate existing social vulnerabilities.

As a Research Assistant at Co-Risk Labs—a worker-owned cooperative partnering communities to redesign approaches to disaster and climate risk information—I worked to address this critical gap. My research and operational support focused on integrating ethical frameworks directly into DRM practice.

My Role and Key Contributions

My primary focus was to assist disaster risk management professionals in reviewing and incorporating ethical design and engineering methodologies, through the following projects:

• CTPxDRM Annotated Bibliography: I authored a foundational research document introducing Critical Technical Practice (CTP)—a framework that integrates critical social science with technological design—into the DRM field. The bibliography summarises literature challenging conventional DRM paradigms, outlines participatory methodologies—from design justice to indigenous counter-mapping—and proposes an original framework for using CTP to bridge interdisciplinary gaps in DRM. In line with my passion for democratising knowledge, I requested to make the document publicly available. Read the live document on Google Docs or preview it below.


• REST4DRM Community of Practice: I provided administrative support for the 16-week Responsible Engineering, Science, and Technology for Disaster Risk Management (REST4DRM) program. The series, consisting of workshops, guest webinars, and project updates, was designed to translate research into practice. I curated educational materials, managed record-keeping, and facilitated participant communications through digital platforms (Slack, Zoom). The program successfully engaged 16 DRM professionals from around the world, sustaining a community of practice committed to implementing ethical methodologies in their work.

My secondary role involved enhancing the internal structure and long-term sustainability of Co-Risk Labs as a worker-owned cooperative. I conducted a comparative analysis on cooperative governance models through desk research and primary interviews with local and international co-ops. Focusing on best practices for tracking patronage and allocating surplus, I proposed amendments to the co-op’s bylaws and financial structures. I also delivered a feasibility analysis on establishing the co-op in Singapore, exploring the registration process, tax implications, and available support.

Expertise

• Academic Specialisations: Disaster Risk Management | Critical Technical Practice | Participatory Design
• Research & Analysis: Literature Review | Primary Interviews | Qualitative Research | Interdisciplinary Thinking
• Operational Execution: Feasibility Analysis | Program Coordination | Stakeholder Communication | Knowledge Management
• Cooperative Governance: Bylaws | Finances