“And Then COVID-19 Happened”: Impacts of the Pandemic on Hazard and Disaster Researchers

Abstract

There is a limited but growing body of literature on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic faculty, scholars, and researchers in the US and around the world. In this article, we present findings of a US-based study conceived in 2020 at the onset of COVID-19. In it, we focus on ways in which the pandemic has affected the professional and personal lives of hazard and disaster researchers from the social sciences, public health, engineering, and other fields who started to examine social dimensions of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic. Data are drawn from a systematic, qualitative, longitudinal study in which we gathered data at two points in time across approximately 18 months between the summer of 2020 and spring of 2022. Thirty interviewees in the first phase of the study and 18 interviewees in the second phase shared their experiences navigating the challenges of conducting pandemic-related research while themselves working in the pandemic environment. Through their rich narratives, study participants provided a range of perspectives. With respect to their professional lives, they described issues associated with social isolation, working from home, using digital platforms to conduct research and business, and shifts to online teaching, among other things. At a personal level, they discussed challenges of childcare and caregiving, as well as living in a generally stressful environment. We conclude by offering a number of suggestions for policy-makers and decision-makers to consider in the event of future events such as COVID-19.