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Jason von Meding

Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction, University of Newcastle

Dr Jason von Meding is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Australia and leads the Disaster and Development Research Group in the School of Architecture & Built Environment. He is a leading national and emerging international researcher in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience and conducts his activities across areas related to human vulnerability and the impact of disasters. He collaborates with a range of industrial and humanitarian partners including the Red Cross, the United Nations, New South Wales State Emergency Services and Habitat for Humanity. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and has successfully secured over 3 million dollars in external research funding in his career to date. Since his appointment at the University of Newcastle, he has established a thriving research group, recruited a team of Research Higher Degree students and secured several high-profile external grants, while establishing a robust national and international reputation for the University of Newcastle in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. He is coordinator of an international network of scholars in Disasters and the Built Environment, and engages in external humanitarian consultancy.

Ghana must move from coping with floods, to adapting for them

Oct 29, 2018 19:20 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Ghana has a serious flood problem. Over about 50 years, 4 million people have been affected by floods, resulting in economic damage exceeding USD$780 million. At least one major flood disaster has occurred every year over...

US under Trump Series

If you destroy it, they will come – climate change displacement and the Trump effect

Mar 31, 2017 02:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

US President Donald Trump this week signed an executive order on energy independence. The order rescinds key elements of the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan. Trumps order lifts requirements placed on American...

Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI

Australias inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and its now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. The annual rate peaked at 7.8% in the December quarter of 2022 and is now just 3.6%, in...

The Mattei Plan: why Giorgia Meloni is looking to Africa

Since coming to power, Giorgia Melonis government has been remarkably orthodox in its foreign policy. Unwavering support for Ukraine, loyalty to the Atlantic Alliance and full participation in the European Union - these...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Military conscription is returning to Europe, but is it really a more equal way of mobilising? What history tells us

The idea that conscription, defined as the compulsory enlistment of citizens for military service, can increase equality and instil a sense of solidarity that transcends traditional societal divides has echoed throughout...

The 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution

Across Portugal, a number of photography exhibitions are currently on display that commemorate the ousting of the Estado Novo, the dictatorial, authoritarian and corporatist political regime that had ruled the country...

Science

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

Tron's Justin Sun Boosts Dogecoin, Shiba Inu at Token 2049 Conference

At the Token 2049 conference, Tron founder Justin Sun endorsed popular meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, emphasizing their pivotal distinction from traditional finance and celebrating their community-driven...

Bitcoin Dips 11% Post-Halving: Unexpected Decline Shocks Investors

Bitcoins price has unexpectedly fallen by 11% since the halving on April 20, stirring concerns among investors hoping for a post-halving surge. According to CoinGecko, Bitcoin dropped below $57,000 on May...

South Korea Pledges 5-Year Boost in Console Gaming Market Share

With an eye toward reducing dependence on mobile platforms, South Koreas government laid out a five-year plan Wednesday to bolster its console gaming sector, which currently represents a mere 1.5% of the global...

Transaction Fees on Shiba Inu’s Shibarium Skyrocket by 500%

Shibarium, the dedicated blockchain for the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency, has seen transaction fees escalate dramatically, with a 500% increase recorded over the last day, signaling a surge in user activity and market...

Samsung Capitalizes on AI Boom with Advanced Memory Chips and Home Automation with Jet Bot Success

Amid the global AI surge, Samsung has expanded its memory chip production and scored big with its Bespoke Jet Bot Combo, quickly selling over 10,000 units in South Korea. Samsung is one of the worlds most significant...