UK-based flood science specialist JBA Risk Management and Oxford University have formed a partnership to research the risks posed by climate extremes to infrastructure networks globally.

The Oxford Programme for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (OPSIS), led by Jim Hall, professor of climate and environmental risks and a commissioner on the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission, will gain full access to JBA’s global flood maps and event sets. Collaborating with JBA’s experts, the Oxford team aims to generate new insights into current and future infrastructure risks.

This collaboration seeks to help vulnerable countries enhance the resilience of their infrastructure networks and improve disaster preparedness, thus protecting against the social and economic impacts of climate change.

This partnership continues a long history of collaboration between JBA and Oxford University. Ongoing projects include research on event footprints, led by Dr Raghav Pant and funded by the UK Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI). Another project focuses on assessing the impact of climate extremes on Jamaica’s national water supply network.

Previous collaborations include the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium and a study on the influence of climate change on extreme flood events in the UK. JBA has also supported Professor Louise Slater’s Future Leaders Fellowship, which provides comprehensive insight into changing flood risk.

Dr Paul Young, head of academic partnerships at JBA Risk Management, expressed his excitement for the collaboration.

“We have a strong track record of working closely with academia and I am excited that we can support and collaborate with OPSIS in their important work understanding the resilience of key infrastructure networks and how that will be impacted by climate change,” Young said.

“Adapting the nation’s infrastructure to climate change requires precise information on where flooding could occur in Britain. JBA’s flood data is enabling us to improve our climate change risk assessment for critical infrastructure,” Hall said.

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