Alexa Tanner is a PhD student at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, studying risk perceptions and decision-making around natural hazards. Her research examines various forms of distance to better understand how this influences risk perceptions, risk communication, and risk management preferences.
Her research currently pulls from lessons learned from other communities. For instance, she had the opportunity to study in Kumamoto, Japan to learn from a city that has had direct and recent experience with multiple natural hazards (earthquakes and flooding). Additionally, she is working on a project surrounding seismic building performance, taking lessons from New Zealand’s recovery from recent earthquakes.
Through her work, Alexa hopes to better understand risk perceptions which, in turn, can aid in more informed decisions around natural hazard risks.
Email: alexa.tanner@ires.ubc.ca